


Ratchet's Girl

by ElliannaPrime



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Action, Evil, F/M, M/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Build, Will be perfected later, first draft, painful past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-18 10:12:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 24,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9379859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElliannaPrime/pseuds/ElliannaPrime
Summary: When a new human girl is brought to the base, she fits in as well as a human is expected to, when hanging out with huge alien robots. Until a person from her past decides to show up and screw with her life again.P.S. I started this story with only Ratchet/OC in mind but I decided after chapter thirteen that I could add in several other relationships and not take away from the story. But they will be mostly minor as of now. Also I have no idea if I will add any smut in here, I'll just see where this plot takes me.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The only reason I am writing this is because I took an online quiz (cause I was bored) for which Transformer would be my soul mate and I got Ratchet. So I thought "Writing a human x Ratchet would be pretty neat." Hope you like it.

The KO Burger’s neon lights flickered on slowly as dusk settled on Jasper, Nevada. Inside a group of four sat at a booth. The only other customer was an older man sitting on the far side of the dining area, slowly munching on his burger. It was quiet except for the whirring of a couple of machines in the back.

“So, you wanted us here cause there’s a concert you want to take us to?”

The girl who had spoken excitedly bobbed her head causing her pink bangs to fall over her eyes. She swatted at them with one hand trying to get them to stay out of the way.

“Sorry Miko but no.” The only adult of the group stared at the three teens sitting opposite of her. “I actually called you here to find out where you guys keep disappearing to.”

Miko abruptly stopped playing with her hair as she scoffed, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t even start that.” Ashely flicked her caramel hair over her shoulder and leaned back into the worn-out seat. “I’m not stupid. So, who wants to be the one to spill the beans?”

 She looked from Miko, who was sitting on the end of the row inspecting her fries, to Jack, who was sitting by the window intently looking at the building across the street till her eyes rested on Raf, who was looking down at his hands and twiddling them nervously.

“Raf.” Her tone wasn’t mean but it was determined and she crossed her arms for emphasize. Raf squirmed and adjusted his glasses.

“Well…um…I…we…” He stammered before gaining enough courage to finish, “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”

Ashley leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, “Try me.”

There was visible gulping from all three at the 25 years-old gaze.

“Fine.” Miko said defiantly replenishing her confidence.

“Not tonight though.” Jack interrupted, “We have to get home. But we can show you tomorrow afternoon after school.”

Ashley smiled impishly, “Tomorrow it is. And I’m gonna hold you to it.” 

*************************************************************************

“What’s wrong?” Arcee asked.  “You’ve been unusually quiet tonight.”

“Nothing, nothing.” Jack replied hastily. “I was just thinking about a project I have to do for school.”

“Sure.” Was the sarcastic response and Jack could almost see the blue bot rolling her eyes as they rolled up into his garage.

“Goodnight Arcee.” He called as he jumped off and went quickly inside while pulling off his helmet.

“Jaaack!”

 

Jack heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind him. He froze as Arcee hissed out his name again but chose to ignore it. He was going to have to let her know that they were going to tell Ashley about the Autobots tomorrow afternoon but since Arcee would probably kill him verbally he was going to put it off for as long as possible.

He set his helmet down under his desk and flopped down on his bed and groaned when he realized that Ratchet would kill him too.

“Tomorrow is going to be fantastic.” He sighed.

*******************************************************************

“Tomorrow is going to be fantastic!” Miko told the mirror as she got ready for bed, “It’s gonna be so sweet seeing her reaction to the bots! And then we can hang out and listen to rock ‘n roll.”  She began to belt out a crazy tune as she played a pretend electric guitar.

“Miko! Stop that noise!”

 “Host parents.” She mumbled as she rolled her eyes and went back to her previous activity, a couple decimals quieter.

She soon got bored though and pulled out her phone and flipped it open.  It was 9:58. She sent several texts to Jack. He wouldn't answer right then but he might in the morning. She was still bored though until it came to her, “Let’s see if Raf’s asleep yet.”

She smiled cheekily at her phone.  

_Miko: U asleep?_

No response. Miko impatiently tapped her fingers on the counter. Ding!

_Raf: Not anymore_.

She smiled.

_Miko: Good_ _:)_

_Raf: I do have to sleep._

_Miko: Relax, I won’t keep u up that long._

_Raf: …That’s what you said last time._

_Miko: I mean it this time!_

_Raf: Then can I go to bed?_

_Miko: U can’t go! we haven’t even talked yet!_

_Raf: I’m going to bed_

_Miko: No don’t!_

_Miko: Talk to me?_

_Miko: Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssssseeee!_

_Raf: 2 minutes_

_Miko: Sweet! K so what r u planning to do tomorrow ;)_

_Raf: School._

_Miko: U know I meant after boredom center_

_Raf: Hanging out with my friends._

_Miko: Ur impossible!_

_Raf: Times just about up._

_Miko: Your about as much fun as Rcet!_

_Raf: Good night._

_Miko: Fine. Don’t talk to me!_

She angrily snapped her phone closed and huffed back to her room. Raf could be more irritating than Jack sometimes.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm in Jack’s room went off at 7:00 am and he sleepily sat up and yawned. He reached for his phone and he saw the list of notifications from Miko texting him.

_What’s up?_

_U excited for this aftn?_

_I am!_

_U probly aren’t cause of Arc._

_U did tell Arc?_

_Did u wait?_

_Either way she’ll be so mad!_

_Probly worse if u waited ;)_

_Night-night!_

Jack let out a sigh, Arcee would want an answer on the way to school. So, he had two options:

  1. Crack and tell her and then get yelled at to and from school. Or...
  2. Wait until after school and then get yelled at.



Yeah, he’d wait till the afternoon. But that meant making it through the whole ride to school.  He heard a low vroom echo through the floor. He hurriedly got dressed and peeked his head through the door to scowl at the motorcycle. 

“Arcee! You’ll wake up my mom!”

“What was up with last night.”

“Nothing.” The pathetic excuse hung in the air.

“Jack.” It was low and dangerous.

“Look, I’ll tell you after school.” And he quickly retreated through the door.

“Well, at least I didn’t crack.” He thought as he ate breakfast as slow as he could to waste as much time without arriving late.

The time came when he couldn’t stall anymore and he tentatively went back into the garage with his back-pack slung over his shoulders and the helmet in his hands and approached Arcee.

 Surprisingly she spoke not a word but it was hardly reassuring and Jack felt increasing apprehension when she remained silent the whole drive to school.

He slipped off the sparkling blue motorcycle and glanced at the school door where Miko and Raf stood waiting back to his bot guardian.

“Hurry up!” Miko yelled.

Jack uncertainly backed away from Arcee and went up the steps. On their way to class Miko began talking about a million random things and Jack fell behind. She turned hand on her hip ready to tell him to stop being a slow poke when she noticed how worried he looked.

“Yo, what’s with that face?”

Raf walked over to Jack with his thumbs under his backpack’s straps and said lowly, “Is it something between you and Arcee?”

Miko’s eyes widened and she whispered excitedly, “Are you two fighting!?!”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Were not fighting. She’s just……not talking to me.”

Miko smiled, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” He hissed back defensively.

“You didn’t tell her about Ashley.” Raf interrupted. “And she knows your hiding something.”

“No!” He denied, “Well……maybe.”

Miko started giggling, “She is gonna kill you dude, _kill you_!”

Jack glared at her, “Well it’s not like you told Bulkhead!”

 “Actually, I did tell him.” And she stuck out her tongue.

Jack looked down at Raf, “Let me guess, you told Bee?”

He nodded, “But don’t worry I asked him not to tell Arcee. That was your job.”

 “Of course, you told them, they wouldn’t kill you about stuff like that!” The taller teen threw his hands up in exasperation, “But not one of you would dare tell Ratchet!”

Miko looked at her shoe then said with an eyebrow raised in acknowledgement, “That’s because Ratchet is crazy.”

The bell rang and the three hurriedly started walking again. But before they made it to class Raf managed to get out, “You better tell her directly after school.”  

Jack nodded in resign to his fate.

***************************************************************************

Ashley had gotten up that morning in a good mood though impatient for the afternoon to come.

“Well at least I’ll finally find out where they keep going.” She thought as she brushed her teeth and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She’d been friends with Jack for about a year now. They both worked at KO Burger and when one of their shifts overlapped they’d struck up a conversation in the down time of no customers.

Recently, she had been introduced to Miko and Raf when they stopped by to get something to eat. It then became a tradition for them to stop by a couple of evenings a week to chat and Ashley had grown quite fond of all three of them.  But she was constantly nagged by the fact that she rarely saw them during the day when she was off work. 

At first, she’d chalked it up to them being in some sort of club since they were teens and all. But when she had casually asked them where they were all the time they’d made very lame excuses.

Ashley hated secrets and when she couldn’t learn anything on her own she settled to making them crack.

“I hope they aren’t mixed up in the wrong crowd.” She told her reflection, “Their good kids and have promising futures.”

She got dressed for work and headed down the two flights of stairs from her apartment to her parked well taken care of Red Kawasaki Ninja 650r.

Work dragged on even more than usual and she tried not to keep looking up at the clock every two seconds but failed miserably.

It was with a sigh of relief that her shift ended and she breezed out the door. It was 2:21 and school would be ending shortly.

She sat down on a bench to wait since KO burger was the rendezvous spot, trying not to visibly fidget.


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re doing what!?!?” Arcee yelled and Jack flinched at the volume but he unfortunately couldn’t cover his ears because it was safer to hold on to the handle bars when Arcee was driving angry. 

“For Primus’ sake! Why are you telling someone about us!” She continued ranting, “You do realize that this is the stupidest idea you’ve ever had? And you’ve had a lot of other dumb ideas!”

Jack sighed, “Look, I didn’t want to tell. But she’s the type of person who can make you talk whether you want to or not.”

“More importantly, why didn’t you tell me sooner? And not ten minutes before!” She seethed.

“Uh well…. I was trying to avoid……. this.” He said sheepishly.

“What are you talking about?” Arcee was now scornfully confused.

“I was trying to minimalize the amount of time you’d have to yell at me.” He responded truthfully since he didn’t have any excuses on hand.

Arcee didn’t say anything for a minute, she was trying desperately to keep her face plates from heating up in embarrassment. Her human ward would _strategize_ when and what he told her to avoid her explosive temper.

“Jack, I’m sorry I lost it.” She finally said, “I’ll try not to go over the top if you come and tell me important stuff like this as soon as possible.”

“Deal.” He said quickly.

“So, about this Ashley.” Arcee resumed much calmer, “Why are you trusting her with our secret?”

Jack shrugged.

Arcee let out a hiss of steam. “I’m having doubts about this already.”

**********************************************************************************

Ashley restrained herself and didn’t jump up when she saw Jack leading the band of three. Instead she got up slowly and waved, put on her helmet, and got in line right behind the blue motorcycle with the yellow Urbana behind her and the green jeep taking up the rear.

Ashley’s curiosity grew as they drove out onto an empty road with only huge mountains, void of any green, in sight.

She questioned her friend’s salinity when he drove right of the road toward one of the pre-mentioned mountains but then questioned her own when a hidden door opened, revealing a curving tunnel.  

It was brightly lit inside the tunnel but that was hardly her main focus when they entered the huge base and she saw a giant red and blue robot. She subconsciously parked as she stared up at the towering mass of metal.

“I see you have brought a new girl.” His baritone voice echoed around and Ashley nearly fell off her bike, this robot _was alive!_

“They did what!?!” Ashley looked around and saw a shorter red and white robot who was scowling.

Raf had gotten out of the yellow Urbana and he walked over and tapped Ashley on the shoulder, “You need to see this.” And he pointed towards the three vehicles as Jack and Miko went to join them. Ashley’s mouth fell open as they transformed.

 She looked at Raf as she slowly closed her mouth into a disbelieving smile,

 “You were right, Raf. I _wouldn’t_ have believed you.”

It took a little while to introduce everyone and explain the whole Autobots and Decepticons complication and how Jack, Miko, and Raf got caught up in it.  By this time two more bots had come back from patrol.

“Well looki here we’ve got a new recruit. I’m Cliff-jumper and this is Tailgate.” The red one beamed as he gestured towards the white and blue one.  

Before Ashley could respond she was cut off by Arcee, “What took you two so long?”

“Nice to see you Arcee.” Cliff-jumper ignored her question. “I know me not being around can be hard on you.”

Tailgate walked over and patted Cliff-jumper on the shoulder, “We all know she was waiting for me.”

Cliff-jumper scowled, “In your dreams.”

Arcee rolled her eyes as the two-continued bantering back and forth.  Ashley felt a hand pulling on her arm and she saw Miko gesturing her to a spot a little way off with a twinkle in her eye.

Ashley allowed herself to get dragged and once they were a good distance away Miko leaned in and said lowly, “You see those two?” And she pointed at Cliff and Tail-gate. “They both have a crush on Arcee and are constantly fighting over her. Apparently Arcee has saved both of them, too.”

Miko let out a giggle. Ashley couldn’t help but smile Miko was always one for hook-ups.

“So, who do you think Arcee should pick?”

Miko thoughtfully put her hand on her chin. “I’m not sure, either one would be adorbs. I don’t know if there is one I like better.”

“Tell me when you figure it out.”

“Got you.” The enthusiastic teen winked as she headed off to the game console and Ashley caught her challenge to Jack.

“Come and beat me Jack. Oh wait, you can’t.”

Jack gave her a glare in acceptance and put his game face on. “This time you are going down.”

“If you say so.” Miko replied holding out a controller nonchalantly with the smug look of someone who knows they’ve won.

While watching a game between those two would be entertaining, Ashley was more interested in all the Cybertronian tech. She walked deliberately around the Ground-Bridge engraving every detail into her brain.  

She carefully touched the edge and zoned out as she studied it, focusing so hard that she didn’t hear her name being called.

Ashley snapped out of it when she felt someone shake her. She turned around abruptly and saw an angry Miko. “Hello? I was calling you!”

“Sorry, I zoned out.”

“Why would you zone out? It’s just a hunk of metal.” Miko said indifferently.  “Now come watch me beat Jack.”

“Sure.”

But what Ashley failed to notice was a pair of optics watching her closely as she walked across the room.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised to see Cliff and Tail? Yeah this story takes place in an alternate reality where just before they died, Arcee came to the rescue. So they kinda owe her. Anyhow I will not have her pick one in this story. Why not? Because this is about Ratchet and Ashley. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that it's almost impossible to choose one, so I just gave up. No, that has absolutely nothing to do with it. (Nervous laughter)


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley went to the base everyday as soon as she got off work and as the novelty of a new human at the base wore off, she was left to herself.

Since a KO burger paycheck wasn’t enough to live off she fixed or glammed up motorcycles and cars in her spare time. Ashley had her own little corner where she would work quietly, ear buds in her head listening to music to keep her focused.

And when she wasn’t in her own little space she would sit and observe the Cybertronian tech.

Ashley had been coming to the base for two weeks when the Autobots found an energon deposit untouched and most likely unknown by the Decepticons.

Every member of Team Prime was going to go mine and the teens had convinced the bots to take them as well. Ashley declined knowing she had to finish up with the Suzuki 1000. 

She finished sooner than she had thought and as she walked around the empty base she spotted a smashed device, curtesy of Bulk-Head, awaiting repair on Ratchet’s work table.

Ashley felt the pull towards it, with a shrug she grabbed her tool kit and began to try her hand at it.

The Ground-Bridge opened via remote control a couple of hours later, and the Autobots rolled in to see Ashley sitting on the work table with part of the device in her lap. She was completely removed from reality, not only zoned out but her music made it impossible to hear what was going on around her.   

The group of bots and humans watched as she continued to twiddle with the device before Ratchet walked over snatched it from her and gave her the death stare.

Ashley blinked as she became aware of her surroundings. She put away her music and was stopped when she heard a voice say gruffly, “How in the name of Primus’ did you fix this?”

“I’ve seen you fix stuff before.” She replied looking up at Ratchet.

“You mean to tell me you learned how to fix Cybertronian Tech simply by watching me?” The Mech’s voice rose a little in disbelief.

Ashley nodded and Ratchet’s optics widened as he tried to process this information. Arcee however was on the defensive.

“How do we know you haven’t been around this tech before?” Her voice rang loud.

The accusation hung in the air as the implication of it sank in. Jack and Miko exchanged worried glances, Raf fidgeted with his glasses. All the bots looked to Optimus.

“I haven’t seen this until now.” Ashley defended as she swept her hand to gesture.

“Why should we believe you?” Arcee countered.

“Arcee.” Optimus intervened sternly.

 Ashley couldn’t think. All her brain screamed was: “Not again.” Pounding those words over and over. She looked desperately for any sign of someone believing her. She found that their faces held confusion, disbelief, and distrust. Ashley looked at her feet and let out a small sigh composing and resigning herself to her fate.  

 “We will discuss this later.” Optimus said finally, “Arcee, Bumblebee, we’re going on patrol. Cliff-Jumper, Tail-Gate, store the energon we collected. Bulkhead please ensure that these three get home at some point.”

Nods of acknowledgement followed and the bots split up. Once the base was relatively empty, Ashley slowly climbed off the work table.

Miko was quick to intercept her. “You haven’t been around this stuff before, right?” 

Ashley shook her head. Miko let out a sigh of relief, “That’s what I thought.”

“You trust me?”

“Of course, we all do.” Miko gestured to Raf and Jack.

“What.” Jack sputtered.

“Yes, we do.” Raf replied and gave Jack a disapproving look.

“Well, uh, yes. Sure, we do.” Jack shrugged.

Ashley let a smile form as her spirits lifted. “Thanks.”

Ratchet who was uncomfortably standing in the background mimicked a human cough he had seen used to get someone’s attention. To his surprise, it worked and he had all four human faces looking up at him expectantly.

Flustered for a minute he looked around and saw that Bulk-Head was conveniently exiting through a hall way probably to stay until he had to take the teens home.

“I will offer no opinion but I would very much like to see how much you can work.”

“Sure.”

The trio left Ashley and Ratchet, and went to finish the game they had started.

*************************************************************************************

Arcee drove quietly behind Prime waiting for him to begin the conversation.

“That was a grave accusation to make.”

“I know, but you can’t just expect me to believe that she just picked it up that fast!” She defended.

“If Ashley was hiding previous knowledge of Cybertronian tech why would she have openly worked on it?”

Here Arcee was stumped. It _didn’t_ make any sense to hide something and then just give it away like that.

“I suppose she might be telling the truth.” She was still hesitant though about trusting her and it came across in the tone of her voice.

“Giving Ashley the benefit of the doubt is the only thing we can do right now.”

*************************************************************************************

They arrived to find the humans on their way home and Cliff-Jumper and Tail-Gate avoiding a pacing Ratchet.

“What’s the matter old friend?” Optimus asked as he transformed.

“That human girl!” He said exasperatedly. Prime waited patiently for an explanation.

“So, I asked her to show me how much she had picked up and she picked up a lot. A very large amount.” The medic stomped over to the computer and pulled up a map with a small purple dot on it. “You see this? It’s the Decepticon ship we’ve been trying to locate for a month now.”

All the autobots drew near to stare. Ratchet let out a dry chuckle, “And if that’s not impressive enough she hacked their systems in _ten minutes!_ I don’t even know how, I challenged her to it while I took a break to assess what she knew so far and I turn around and she’s found it!”

Ratchet pinched his nose plate, “I made it seem like no big deal but Primus’ help me I don’t know what we’re going to do.”  

Optimus frowned, Ashley was obviously a genius like Raf with far more hacking experience.

“For now, my old friend, we will trust her. I would like for you to work with Ashley as well. Her abilities may come in handy.”

“Of course, they could!” Ratchet mumbled, “She literally just found the Decepticons!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review:) And point out any mistakes if you find them! (I am far from perfect!) Suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will have more relationship building for Ratchet and Ashley. (So far I've just been setting things up)


	5. Chapter 5

When Ashley entered the base the next day, school was not yet out. And she noticed the atmosphere was……off.  She went quietly over to her corner and started working on an engine she had brought.

For some reason, she felt uncomfortable and began to glance behind her every few minutes. It took a few tries but she managed to catch Bulk-Head looking at her strangely. Their eyes met and he abruptly turned his attention to a conversation with Tail-Gate.

Ashley let a grim expression form on her face, “They don’t trust me.” She thought, “I can’t blame them, it’s not like anyone’s ever trusted me before.” That brought back memories she quickly pushed away.

“Get a grip.” She yelled at herself. “ _That_ is never to be brought up again.”

Ashley shook herself and went back to her work for distraction. The Autobots went in and out about their duties and Ashley chose to ignore them. She didn’t need to see all of them giving her funny looks all the time.  

“Ashley, if you’re not too busy. I wouldn’t mind a little help.” Ratchet said unexpectedly. He cursed inwardly at how terrible that probably sounded coming from him but the best way to watch Ashley was to have her over by him and he didn’t have any better ideas on hand.

 Other than telling her straight up why he needed her over here and he was sure that would be even worse than his current method.

Ashley paused, “Did he just ask for help? Isn’t he the type that _never_ asks for help?”

She shrugged it off, even though it was weird and out of the blue, she wasn’t about to say no.

“Yeah, I can help.”

“Well at least it worked.” He thought as Ashley packed up and transferred her tools over to the work desk.

“What do you want me to do?” Her face shone with eagerness.

He picked up a small cone shaped piece of shinning white metal. “This is to help with radio transmissions but because you’re smaller it’ll be easier for you to route and connect the systems.”

He opened a panel as he spoke revealing many hard drive chips and held it down so she could see inside. Ratchet set it down and Ashley walked over and poked her head inside. She ran her fingers along each of the chips. “This tech is so cool.”  

“Indeed, it is.” The Mech affirmed.

Her face scrunched up in embarrassment, “I said that aloud didn’t I.”

Ratchet nodded.

“Sorry, so where do I get started?”

He had no idea why she just apologized but he showed her the beginning of what she needed to do and she went to work.

When Ashley had completed the first task she had Ratchet check it over. She did this after each wiring instruction she was given since each one was different and needed to be exact.

Ratchet’s patience was wearing out. He couldn’t work for five straight minutes without Ashley interrupting and asking for his approval. This was not lost on her and she began working out various solutions.

“Ratchet?”

“What is it now.”  

  
“If I sat on your shoulder it’d be easier for you to check on what I was doing. You’d only have to glance over and then you could give instructions while you continued working on your project.” Ashley suggested.

The medic thought it over. “Not a bad idea and worth a shot.”

He put his hand down for her to climb on. Once she was seated he gave her the device and tools. Ashley set the radio transmission down in the space between his armor and neck, put the tools next to her, grabbed a chip and began to work again.

Her feet hung down towards his spark chamber and very gently began to tap against his chest as she unconsciously moved them to concentrate.

Ratchet found this new position much preferred to the other. They both quietly went about programing, assessing and re-routing. The silence was only broken when Ashley held up a finished chip.  Ratchet would glance at it, nod, and go back to his work as he simultaneously told her the new code.

This was the scene Jack, Miko, and Raf saw when they arrived. Miko dumbfounded just stared before whispering to her friends, “Your seeing what I’m seeing, right? _Ashley_ _is sitting on top of Ratchet!_ ”

“She’s helping him.” Raf whispered back seeing where Miko was taking this.

“Maybe technically but…...”

“You are not making those two into a couple.” Jack interrupted.

“And, why can’t I?”

“Because! Ratchet’s an Autobot!”

“So?”

Jack tried again. “Ashley’s a human.”  

Miko rolled her eyes, “Seriously? Man, haven’t you ever heard of inter-species dating?”

They continued arguing in hushed tones. Raf didn’t think it was that big of a deal and went to play with Bee.

Ashley hadn’t noticed their entrance and was completely oblivious to the conversation going on. Ratchet however heard it loud and clear.

“Silly humans. Thinking there’s something between us.” He thought to himself, “The idea! At least the bots know I’m _only_ doing it to monitor her.”

Satisfied with that he resumed, and brushed off the fact that he actually sort of enjoyed her sitting there with her rhythmic tapping.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the update! I added some reference to her history which will come up more in the following chapters. Also things will be getting darker in the near future as well. This story is not all sunshine and daisies. Anyhow, Please review, leave suggestions and constructive criticism!


	6. Chapter 6

Ratchet’s first impression of Ashley had been basically another Miko, talkative, annoying, and only tolerable because of her catchy enthusiasm and bright smile. 

But on close examination Ashley seemed to have two sets of personalities, her smiling, energetic one when she was engaged with her friends and the quiet, reserved one when she was alone or working.

And now that Ratchet thought about it her smile came easy but it wasn’t like Miko’s. He went through a comparison of them and saw no major differences and it puzzled him. 

On the surface, they were almost identical and yet they weren’t, Ashley’s smile was lacking…... something. And it caused him no end of frustration when he couldn’t pinpoint what.

 Ashley’s routine now included assisting Ratchet and though she tried not to admit it to herself, it was the highlight of her day.

 “It’s only because you get to work with Cybertronian tech.” She repeatedly told herself, “It can’t ever be more than that and you know full well why.”

Ashley unfortunately couldn’t help but get closer to Ratchet, working with anyone several hours a day had that effect.

Conversation at first was limited to what they were working on. It soon spread to many different topics, all mostly shallow. (things along the lines of weather)  

 Ashley was fiercely curious about Cybertron and what it was like to live there but avoided the topic for a while not wanting to seem insensitive.

 It would be painful to recall a planet thriving with life and knowing that it currently was a barren wreck.

Sitting on his shoulder she contemplated extensively. Her eyes wandered around the base, Cliff-Jumper and Tail-Gate were out. Jack, Miko, and Raf were attempting to teach their guardian bots how to play Monopoly and Optimus was watching them, thinking, and monitoring the Decepticon ship and activity.

Finally, she brought her focus back and decided on the least intrusive method for satisfying some of her curiosity.  

“Ratchet?”

“Mmhh.”

“How did you get into medicine?”

“How I got into medicine? Let’s see.” The Mech rubbed a servo on his chin,

“I emerged from the Well of Sparks in a primitive village. Most of the bots there lived in terrible conditions. I at first accepted it as the way things were.

I felt bad, of course for all the suffering but I was an ignorant young bot and didn’t have any knowledge on how to fix the problem.

Word of a new city, Iacon, spread to my town. Rumor had it that it was clean and prospering and even had a school.

It was incredibly far away, making it a perceived fantasy to the bots of my village.  

Even though its existence was doubted I set out for Iacon, determined to make something of myself.

 I’ll spare you the details of my trip. Summed up it was dangerous, tiring, and I was overjoyed when it ended and I caught my first glance of Iacon off in the distance.

For my inexperienced youth Iacon was the greatest thing to ever exist after energon.  I wasted no time on sight-seeing, instead I inquired around until I was given directions to Iacon’s schools.  

I sent in an application and was thankfully accepted. I only made it in because Remedy, the chief medical officer at the time, thought I had potential.

The curriculum was grueling but I was a stubborn Mech and stuck to it. It took a lot of studying and time before I began to get noticed as a bright student.  

I climbed the ranks until I was the youngest Junior Medic in all the Medical Units.”

 Here Ratchet paused and a frown spread across his face,

“The Great War then broke out. Remedy went to help while I stayed behind and taught several classes. But that all changed when news came back that Remedy had passed away and I was the new Chief Medical Officer.

I then chose to forgo my place in the Medical Units and help in the war. I felt useless at the school just teaching, while brave sparks were dying.

I left my colleague, Cogwheel, in charge and joined Optimus. Cybertron fell and then we came here.”

Ashley made no response for a few minutes, she hadn’t expected this.

“He just told me about his whole life.” She though and felt a twinge of guilt.  She opened her mouth and was stopped as a violent cough racked through her body. She attempted to clear her throat but that only made her begin to cough harder.

“Ashley, what’s wrong?” Ratchet was startled as he watched her small form continue convulsing. She began to gasp for air and he picked her up.

Ashley’s hacking increased as she lay in the palm of his hand and then blacked out.

“What happened?” Jack asked as the whole group hurried over. Then he began to cough.

“Not you too!” Miko cried indignantly before she began to cough as well.

 Raf’s eyes widened, “There must be something coming through the vents.”

 He pointed up at the ceiling as a look of fear came across his face. Jack had passed out and Miko was staggering when Raf contracted the terrible cough.

“What’s going on?” Bulk-Head cried out as he caught Miko. Arcee was tending to Jack, and Bee was watching Raf, horrified at what was happening.

“I’m going to check the air.” Ratchet said, trying desperately to remain calm. Ashley was still in his hand as he turned to the computer.

A soft whirr was heard followed by a ping! Ratchet reached around to grab whatever had just hit him when his systems began to shut down.

He fell over with a crash, his last conscious thought to protect Ashley from getting hurt. Four more consecutive pings! followed and the rest of the Autobots went down.  

*********************************************************************************

Cliff-Jumper and Tail-Gate entered the base in high spirits. They chatted amiably before noticing the empty base.

“Hey, where’d you think everybody went T. G?”

“Don’t know.” Tail- Gate com-med Prime and was met with static. “Cliff, we have a problem.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun. Please review, leave suggestion, comments, and constructive criticism!:)


	7. Chapter 7

 Ratchet’s systems stirred to life and his optics slowly opened. His vision was fuzzy at first but as it cleared he saw that he was in a confinement cell. The walls were made with a shining white energy that he couldn’t identify. Beyond that it was dark.  

Looking around he saw two separate cells to his left containing Arcee, and Bumblebee still out cold. To his right there was an empty one before three more with Optimus Prime and Bulk-Head who were already up.  Jack, Miko and Raf were sharing the last one and were up as well.

Arcee and Bee began to stir when Ratchet realized that Ashley was unaccounted for.  He peered into the black when a faint voice said,

“I’m so sorry for getting you all involved in this.”

It was Ashley. The lights snapped on. Briefly blinded, Ratchet soon adjusted and stood up. Ashley was chained to a large white board with strong metal cuffs around her wrists, ankles, and torso. Her head hung low.

The board was suspended up at least ten feet into the air. Behind her was a complex computer system with many other devices attached.

Steps echoed across the floor and a one-armed man was noticed for the first time.  Ashley raised her head and spat with venom, “Hawthorne.”

“Nice to see you again.” He said sarcastically.  Hawthorne was in his forties. He had a slightly above average height, black hair that was obviously dyed, and steel gray eyes.

He was wearing a lab coat and sauntered over with a confident air. He surveyed the rest of his captives as he leaned back against his computer base, “I’m afraid I haven’t introduced myself yet, Nathanial Hawthorne.”

He gave a mock bow and looked back up at Ashley, “Much impressed with your new friends. It took a while to figure out how to take them down.”

The hatred in her eyes was clear and scary. 

“Don’t give me that look. Did you honestly think you’d outsmarted me?” Nathanial pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Smoking slowly, he heard a voice from the far side of the room, “What do you what with us dummy!”

“Miko, is it?” He snorted, “Don’t tell me Ashley didn’t tell you.”

When he was met with looks of confusion he stared at Ashley in disbelief. “You really didn’t tell them?”

He shook his head, “Honestly it shouldn’t surprise me, you always did keep things to yourself. Guess I should tell them.”

Ashley eyes widened and a hint of panic set in.  “Don’t you dare.”  She hissed.

“Relax, I’ll use your memories so they’ll get the right perspective.” Hawthorne turned around and hit several buttons.

A metal arm activated and slid up towards Ashley as she struggled against her restraints. Slender metal rods existed the end of the arm and reached for her like bony fingers.

She shivered as the cold fingers wrapped around her head. A screen came to life and Nathanial flashed a fake smile at the bots.

 “Get ready for a history lesson. Oh, and dear,” He directed his attention at Ashley, “don’t fight it. You know it’s more painful that way.”

A picture flashed onto the screen depicting a four-year old version of Ashley smiling widely as she ran towards a tall brunet man kneeling with his arms thrown wide open. Behind him stood a pregnant woman.

“Before we hit play you should know that those are her parents, it’ll we be told from her point of view, and I’ll be acting as the peanut gallery.” He waved his cigarette and then the picture began to move.  And a young voice started talking.

 

_“Daddy!” I screamed as I ran as fast as I could jumping into the arms that awaited me. I clung on tightly and smelled the familiar aroma of pine woods in his jacket, “I’m so glad your back!”_

_“I am too, darling!” He pulled me back and looked me over, “Why you’ve grown so much cutie.”_

_I glanced over his shoulder and he nodded and let me go. I ran and embraced my mom and she bent over and rubbed my back._

_“Why is your tummy so big?” I asked and felt it cautiously._

_“It’s means you’re going to be a big sister.” She replied gently._

_“I’m going to have a baby sister!?”_

_“No, a baby brother.” She corrected._

_“A brother?” I stared at the bump, “Well we’ll be best friends either way!”_

_“Of course, you will!” Daddy laughed and swooped me up into the air. I squealed and flapped my arms as he spun me in a circle._

_“Let’s go home Ella!” He said as he set me down. I grabbed both of their hands and swung them proudly. I was so happy they were back._

_My baby brother was born shortly after, his name is Timothy but Mommy says I can call him Tommy.  I fell in love with Tommy immediately, he’s so cute with his fuzzy brunet hair and baby blue eyes just like daddy.  I look like mommy with my caramel hair and aqua eyes._

_I play with him carefully since he very tiny. Tommy grows up fast though soon he’s crawling around our big house. When he can walk, I’m talk him out to explore the huge fields that surround our home._

_Tommy’s first birthday was coming up after mine when Daddy and Mommy had to drop us at Nanny’s house in a small neighborhood. I was used to being dropped off, Daddy and Mommy often go away for work._

_They were sad to leave and had me tell them everything when they finally got back. I was six then and glad to be back in our old home._

_“Mommy, are you going to be here when Tommy turns two since you missed his first birthday?” I asked one night before I went to bed._

_“Hopefully dear.” She rocked in her chair and looked at me thoughtfully. “Ella?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Will you promise me to always protect your brother and keep him safe? No matter what?” Mommy seemed tense but I decided not to mention it._

_“I promise.” I said with a determined nod. She relaxed after that._

_They went off to work again. Tommy started talking in full sentences while they were away. It’s super funny when he mispronounces words._

_Tommy is my best and only friend, all the other kids in the neighborhood started avoiding us. I think it had something to do with the men dressed in black suits that came a week ago._

_Nanny’s acting weird again and the men came back. I was sent upstairs to keep Tommy occupied and out of mischief, he loves to explore._

_Nanny came upstairs in my room that night._

_“Ella, tomorrow someone is going to come pick you and your brother up.”_

_“Why are we leaving?”_

_Nanny hesitated, “It’s complicated. But you’ll be taken care of.”_

_A car came for us. We drove for a long time till we came to the city. We were dropped off at a large red-bricked house with two stone pillars in the front. Lots of kids were running around screaming as they played a game._

_A sign near the entrance read ‘Orphanage’. I’ll have to ask an adult to explain what it means._

_Poor Tommy was trembling, all the noise and people were new and it scared him._

_“I won’t let anyone hurt you.” I whispered and he calmed down. We were given a room with only one bed to share, something about ‘That’s all that’s available.’_

_This Orphanage is run by a plump lady named Headmistress. She’s super nice and has pretty blonde hair. All the other ‘orphans’ are wild and rough. They are rude and I make sure we avoid them._

_“Ella?” The Headmistress is standing at the door. I look up from the picture I’m coloring with Tommy._

_“Yes ma’am?” We’ve been here a while so it might be my Mom and Dad here to pick us up._

_“Someone is here to see you.” I turn to nudge Tommy but she shakes her head._

_“Just me?”_

_She nods, I get up and leave Tommy, he’s three now and can handle being alone for a bit. I walk down the stairs. An older man with gray hair leaning on a can greets me with a kind smile._

_“I take it your Ella?”_

_I nod, “Ella Ashley Rosewood. And you sir?”_

_“John Green.”_

_We shake hands and he attempts to strike up a conversation._

_“And how old are you?”_

_“Seven.”_

_“And what are you interested in?”_

_“Math. I’m not supposed to learn Algebra yet.”_

_“Oh but?”_

_“Yeah, I’m learning it anyway.”_

_“Interesting.”_

_We continue talking, he describes his own house and it has an indoor pool! After we’ve been talking for an hour he excuses himself to talk to headmistress. I tune in, curiosity was always my weak point._

_“She’s perfect.”_

_“You’ll adopt her?”_

_“Of course, she is very bright for seven and has a promising future.” He taps his cane on the ground._

_“Is there any way you could take her brother as well.”_

_“I’m sorry but I only have time to raise one.”  He looks apologetic. I still don’t understand what an orphan or adoption is, no one will explain it but I don’t like where this is going._

_“Sir,” I pipe up, “What do you mean by adopt me?”_

_He crouches down and looks me dead in the eye, “It means that I’ll be your new daddy.”_

_“What’s wrong with my daddy? He’s only at work.”_

_A tear forms in his eye. “Darling, your daddy’s not coming back.”_

_I begin to feel dread creep into my stomach. “What do you mean.”_

_“Your father,” His voice softens. “is dead.”_

_“Mommy?” I falter._

_“She’s gone as well.”_

_I feel dizzy and faintly hear myself screaming, “No! No! That not true! They’ll come back! They always come back!’_

_Tears are streaming down my face. I see the pity in their faces. I stumble back upstairs to my room. I dare not go in, Tommy can’t see me like this. I curl up on the landing and sob quietly. I’m tired and my whole body feels numb._

_I wake up to someone shaking me gently, it’s Headmistress. “Let’s get you to bed. Mr. Green will come pick you up in two days.”_

_“What about my brother.” I mumble, “What will happen to him.”_

_“He’ll stay here.”_

_“I’m not leaving without my brother.”_

_“I’m sorry but you’ll have too.”_

_We have arrived at my door. She opens it softly and leads me to my bed. Tommy is curled up around the blanket. I snuggle in beside him. The headmistress leaves and I begin to formulate a plan._

_Some of the details are unclear but I’ll figure them out on the go. That morning I carefully observe where Headmistress puts her debit card. It will be needed later. I also inspect the locks on the windows and doors. Maps of the town also come in handy._

_That night after Headmistress says goodnight, I slip out of my bed and get dressed. Tommy rubs his eyes, “What are you doing?”_

_I reach under the bed and grab two pairs of gloves. I put mine on and hand Tommy his. Fingerprints are the first things that get tracked._

_“Getting ready for an adventure.”_

_This gets his attention. “Really? I’m coming too!”_

_“Sure, but it’s a secret adventure so you have to be quiet.”_

_His eyes sparkle as he nods. I pull out a backpack and look back at him._

_“Stay here. I have to go get something.”_

_I creep out the door and quietly inch downstairs. I collect the debit card, fill my pack with food and unlock the front door._

_I go back upstairs and help Tommy get dressed. It dawns on me that we can’t survive with one pair of clothes and move the food around until there is room for extras in my pack._

_I hold my brother’s hand firmly and guide him through the dark. Once were outside I direct him towards the nearest ATM._

_I must think hard to remember the pin. I’ve only seen Headmistress use it once. I punch in 5783 and breath happy when it’s the right one._

_I take out two-hundred dollars and apologize to thin air, “So sorry to do this but it is necessary.”_

_I stuff the cash into my pocket and we head to a bus stop. An old lady is waiting. I stand right behind her and we are let on the bus without a problem._

_I lift Tommy up on the seat were the lady is sitting and sit next to him by the window. He lays his head down on my lap and I stare out the window as the bus lurches forward._

_“Time to start over.” I think sadly._

_******************************************************************************************************************************_

Beep! The screen stop playing and Hawthorne sighs as he answers his phone.

“Hello?”

“Good…..Yeah I’ll be right there.”

He hangs up and turns around, “Sorry but I’ll have to leave you now, my delivery has arrived.”

He knocks out his cigarette and turns off the screen.  “I am putting up a soundproof barrier between the cells, can’t have you scheming amongst yourselves. Of course, you three share one but it can’t be helped.”

Nathanial shrugged, hit a button, and turned on his heel. The lights flickered off as he existed and the captives were left in silent darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for making you wait three whole days for an update!:( I hope this chapter made up for it!:)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank-you for taking the time to read my story! Hope you're enjoying it so far!

Ratchet pushed against the walls but found that the harder he pushed the stronger it became. He couldn’t com for help and was uncertain of what to do with the new information on Ashley’s………Ella’s past.

How had she gotten involved with this Hawthorne? Why did she change her name? What about her brother? How had Hawthorne taken out him and his fellow Autobots? How much did he know about Cybertronians? Was he involved with the Decepticons? 

He paced back and forth. He couldn’t answer any of his questions and he had nothing to do to take his mind off it.

He continued pacing for hours. His clock said they had woken up in the evening of the same day they had been captured. 

It was now early morning and it was safe to assume Nathanial would be back. Ratchet leaned back against a wall, he’d have to wait.

Hawthorne was back, the lights turning on without warning was telling enough.  His mouth was moving but nothing came out.

Nathanial froze, snapped his fingers, and turned the barrier off.

“Forgot about that,” He laughed at himself. “as I was saying, let’s continue where we left off last night.”

He activated the metal arm again and the picture of Ella staring out a foggy bus window with the small brunet head on her lap came up and began to play.

********************************************************************************

_I tried not to let my thoughts wander to my parent’s being dead. It was a chilling thought but made sense. I didn’t know when I am going to tell Tommy. I don’t know if I should._

_I’m being an idiot, I must tell him. He has a right to know and it’ll only be worse if I wait. He breath is slow and even. He fell asleep almost immediately._

_“You seem young to be riding a bus.”_

_I turn my attention to the lady next to me, “I guess I do. I can stay with you if you think it’s safer.”_

_“Only for a little while. I get off soon.”_

_“Really? As do I.”_

_I would have to pay when I get off but the lady is holding a blue pass card. If were taken for family, they won’t ask any questions._

_“You can get off with me.”_

_“Thanks.”_

_I give her a wide smile. So far so good. I haven’t figured out how we’ll purchase food from a store when my backpack runs out. I clear my head, that’s I’ll a problem for another day._

_The more immediate concern is where we are going to sleep. The bus lurches to a stop, the lady gets up and I carefully pick Tommy up._

_He stirs and opens his eyes. I smile softly as I carry him behind the friendly lady. We make it out without a fuss and I say good-bye._

_The lady seems hesitant to leave, so I start confidently walking in the opposite direction. Once were out of sight I look carefully for a place to stay. Tommy is fully awake now and I set him down, he gets heavy._

_I find an alley mostly out of sight. A bunch of garbage is stacked up on the sides. I find a cozy spot behind a ton of carboard and get Tommy situated._

_“Ella, why are we going on an adventure? I thought we were waiting for Mommy and Daddy to come get us.”_

_“Tommy, you’re a big boy and can handle what I’m about to tell you.” I took a deep breath, “Mommy and Daddy aren’t coming back, they’re dead.”_

_His eyes filled with confusion and then he began to cry, “They never got to be at one of my birthdays!”_

_I hated seeing him sobbing his heart out. “Tommy, they’re not completely gone.”_

_He wiped a tear off his cheek and sniffed, “What do you mean.”_

_“Look up. See all those stars? Now look closely, see the two big ones near each other. Those are the stars of Mom and Dad. They loved you so much that they went into the heavens to watch over you.”_

_His sniffling slowed but his voice remained anxious, “They loved me that much?”_

_“Yes, they did. Don’t ever forget that.”_

_‘I won’t.” He yawned and snuggled up under my arm. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep._

_Bang! Bang! Bang! I snap up and feel my heart racing. Tommy is still sleeping and I carefully maneuver to peer around the carboard._

_I can make out the silhouette of three men standing around a crumpled figure. A shred of light reflects off the metal side of a smoking gun._

_The man in possession of it is still pointing it at the body and sneers, “Idiot, though you could get away.”_

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

_“Get rid of it.” He orders and puts the gun in his belt. I hid back behind the carboard remained as still as possible. Given that sentence they should leave soon._

_“Ella why am I awake?” Tommy asked and his voice echoed off the walls. Crap._

_“Find whoever just said that.”_

_It was useless to run. The alley ended in a brick wall and heavy footsteps came closer until I was staring up into the face of a bearded middle-aged man._

_“We’ve got a couple of kids.” He called back to his group of murderers._

_“Throw ‘em in the van. We can sell ‘em on the black market.” Was the gruff reply from the leader._

_Hoisted up by the back of our shirts, the man hauled us to an unmarked van. Opening the back doors, I saw that the back was cut off from the front by metal mesh._

_Thrown unceremoniously into are awaiting prison I put myself between them and Tommy. The man slammed the doors shut and we pulled out a minute later._

_One of the three had taken a different car to get rid of the dead man and I beat myself up for my stupidity._

_‘If only I hadn’t chosen that alley! I should have known that a hidden alley would be a hit spot for crime. Why didn’t I think of covering Tommy’s mouth? It’s all my fault that we’re in this! Stupid, stupid, stupid!’_

_“Are they going to hurt us?”_

_It was only a whisper but it stopped my mental rant, I’d forgotten that’d he’d be scared._

_“No. I won’t let them.” I whispered back. Crouching down I held him close, it was time to think productively._

_“They’re willing to kill so don’t tick them off. Black market meant they would do anything for money. They deal in underhand stuff all the time so they’re not dumb. But killing someone in an alley way is not entirely smart meaning they’re of average intelligence. A couple of cards played right with the offer of money and long term value will keep us relatively safe. But what exactly can I do to give us those cards?”_

_I needed more information to figure that out. The van parked and we were escorted into a cabaret. The colored lights flared, the sound pounded, and I could make out a stage._

_We were taken upstairs and locked into a rundown room with a bare bed, torn apart furniture, and there’s a guard posted outside._

_“A cabaret stage!” I cry as I get an idea fifteen minutes into our confinement. Tommy looks at me like I’m crazy but I don’t care. “This card might just work!”_

_I swoop him up into the air with a silly grin splattered across my face. “Time for a snack celebration!”_

_Granola bars are the only food I packed that could count as ‘treat material’ and we eat them like their delicacies._

_I send Tommy back off to bed. I knock softly on the door, “Excuse me sir, but I’d like to talk to your boss. I have an offer to make.”_

_I await an answer, when it remains silent I start to repeat myself. The door swings open and the guard stares down at me._

_“Some nerve kid, to try and make a deal with the boss.”_

_“Not nerves just sisterly protection.”_

_I’m escorted to an office, one with a lot of décor. Statues, paintings, nice wallpaper, comfy seats, polished wood floor._

_The boss is seating behind a desk made of mahogany with the slouch of someone who’s bored._

_“Sorry to bother you but I hope to make this worth your time.” I start trying to lighten the mood._

_“Better be, I don’t even know why I’m doing this.”_

_“Surely you’re doing it because of the prospect of money?”_

_“What the hell you talking about?”_

_“You see I just had an idea on how you could use this place to earn a lot of money.”_

_“Yeah, how? I own this place squirt.”_

_So, he owned this place, big deal, it just made things easier._

_“Well you’re wasting an excellent opportunity. If you were to have a live singing battle once or twice a week, people would place bets. Course you’d have to have a reigning champion to win the bets or someone working underhand to make sure you always bet on the winner.”_

_He leaned back in his chair and studied me. “Your saying that you’d work underhand?”_

_“I could lose to ensure a win on your part if I can’t pull off a reigning champion.”_

_“Your smart for a kid. I can give it a shot.”_

_“But,” I quickly intervened, “You’d have to promise not to hurt me or my brother.”_

_“I will do that but only if you prove worth it.”_

_This was the beginnings of my cabaret singing career. The competition soon became the talk of the town. I surprised myself with my own talent but I think my success had to do with my willingness to keep Tommy out of the darkest part of the world._

_The life I lived now was not clean, the cabaret was refuge to more than one shady character. But with the threat of a bullet through my brother’s brains if I attempted to leave, it would have to do._

_During the early evening when the club was mostly empty of the really bad people, Tommy and I would team up for group competitions._

_Tommy was a favorite and we did an encore of Colors of The Rainbow almost every time we performed. I had to stay up later than him singing in competitions, reeling in customers and money, and singing questionable songs._

_The one day I refused to sing an explicit song I had a barrel between my eyes. Overall life isn’t terrible, we got a new room, hot meals, clothes, and protection._

_But I was safe because of money and that was an unsteady base. An anonymous buyer offered up five million dollars for both of us, which was more money than I had made in the two years I’ve been here._

_We were shipped in a crate with an escort across country to Nevada. And were delivered to a warehouse._

_Upon arriving we were greeted by a happy voice, “Finally my duckies have arrived! I’ve been tracking you for a while now. Charmed to see you both in person. Your lives are in my hands and I’ll be making you useful.”_

_A man emerged swinging both hands gaily, like we were some long awaited Christmas presents._

_“Who are you?”_

_He flashed a sickening smile, “I’m Nathanial Hawthorne.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to update yesterday but I landed on my right foot while working out and had to go to the hospital. Turns out I cracked my fifth metatarsal bone. Good news: no cast. Bad news: heavy boot for a month and a half. Anyhow please leave a comment, suggestion or constructive criticism!:):)
> 
> P.S. I put the last chapter up in a flurry and have since gone back and edited it for a smoother read.
> 
> P.P.S Here is the link to the song I referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37MX0Y-XQc


	9. Chapter 9

“Wonderful entrance, wasn’t it?” Nathanial gushed as he hit pause. “This is the good part cause I’m in it. I’ll try not to interrupt my genius but forgive me if I do.”

***************************************************************************

_“How are you going to make us useful?” I asked warily._

_“You’re a genius Ella, doll, figure it out.” And he swept his hands at the inside of the warehouse, his work area. I inspected thee visible large white system. It was covered in buttons of varying size and color, three computer screens hung above it. Metal arms were attached with cables, an extra hand._

_“You study various things and were the new subjects.” The prospect was grim._

_“Good girl. And it’s only you. I don’t really care about your average brother but you,” He patted me on the head, “You’re the genius.”_

_“You’ll release Tommy?”_

_“No. He’s staying here, I paid way too much money to just throw him out. Besides he might come in handy.”_

_Hawthorne walked back into the warehouse, dusk was descending and I hadn’t figured out an escape route, I was in unfamiliar territory._

_Hawthorne was smart, more likely a genius so I had no advantage there. He also could be armed and I couldn’t out run a bullet._

_I followed cautiously with Tommy behind me._

_“What tests do you do?”_

_“Various ones, but I won’t ruin the surprise.” He gestured towards cells with walls made of a white energy as we entered, “I’ll have you know that the energy you see, I discovered. It’s called Thoranium, after me. I’m still refining it but it had infinite potential. And makes a pretty good wall.”_

_The escort had remained outside and Nathanial called back to them, “You can leave now, my own personnel will take care of them from here.”_

_He turned his attention back to me, “Be a dear and put your brother in one of those cells.”_

_“If the tests are going to be…. strenuous. I’d prefer he wasn’t in the same room.”_

_“Fine, it doesn’t matter to me.” He clapped his hands twice and a lean man came through a door._

_“You called, sir?”_

_“Geffrey, my butler,” He explained to us. “take Tommy and keep him safe in another room.”_

_Geffrey nodded and came to collect Tommy._

_“I’m not leaving my sister!” He growled. Five was the age he had decided to became stubbornly loyal._

_“Go, I’ll be fine.” I reassured not even believing myself._

_“But..but…” His face scrunched up in conflict as he took a step towards Geffrey._

_“Don’t frown,” I teased. “you were the one who told me you looked cuter smiling.”_

_He giggled, “I thought you’d forget that.”_

_“Never.”  He left the room with a smile thrown over his shoulder._

_In reality, I knew this could be the last time I saw him and I wanted to remember the happy face of my brother. Turning to Hawthorne I prepare my nine-year-old frame for the worst._

_“Ready?” He cooed._

_“You don’t care if I am or not.” I sigh._

_“No, I don’t.” He turns and taps his finger on the smooth side of the computer bank. A drawer slides open and he reaches inside. “Let’s start off simple, how well does your body handle poison?”_

_A dangerous needle filled with a black liquid is held up. I take a step backwards and clench a fist._

_“Oh, that won’t do.” He cups a hand to his mouth and shouts. “Easton! Get in here.”_

_“What’s up?” A toned male strolled in, looking disheveled with his shirt on backwards, “I was helping Gale.”_

_“You can worry about your love life later! “He jabbed a finger at me, “I need her tied down and vitals and pain sensory hooked up. Wouldn’t want to kill her on the first test.”_

_“Fine.” Easton grumbled. He swept me up and threw me over his shoulder. Mumbling incoherently, he walked over to a storage compartment and wheeled out a white table with fearsome handcuffs._

_He dropped me down and pushed me flat. The cuffs snapped into place and he wheeled me back by Hawthorne._

_“I’m dead, I’m dead. This poison is going to kill me. Please don’t let them do the same to Tommy.” My brain talked as I was hooked up and the needle hovered over my wrist._

_It went in and I bit my lip as I watched the fluid enter my body. Easton had already bailed and I was alone with this mad-man._

_“I colored the poison so we can watch its progress.” He said as he removed the needle, “It’s cyanide poison. It can kill a human in 2-6 hours.”_

_“I thought you said you didn’t want to kill me.” I gritted my teeth as a black line slowly crawled up my arm._

_“I don’t. I have the antidote if you need it but I have reasons to believe you don’t.”_

_I couldn’t ask for more information because my arm began to burn and I was having trouble focusing. More lines branched out from the main one spreading a tattoo of death across my skin._

_It hurt more than even I expected, I wanted to scream but I knew it would only give him pleasure to see my pain so I sucked it in._

_The lines were spreading at an alarming rate and were close to my shoulder._

_“I should mention that I accelerated the pace of the poison.” Hawthorne remarked casually. “At this pace, you have thirty minutes left, forty at best.”_

_My eyes widened, I wasn’t prepared to die that fast. The black lines kept spreading reaching out for my neck._

_I squeezed my eyes shut as pain flooded my brain with confusing signals. I was lost to time unable, to think._

_Through the fog, I heard a cackle, “Knew it! I so knew it! Course only I had any idea of what they were up to. But ha! I was right!”_

_I concentrated, fighting to clear my head. The fog drifted away slowly and I came back to reality. I opened my eyes and watched the lines retreat. Already they were back at my elbow, I looked up at Nathanial in shock._

_“I said you wouldn’t need the antidote.”_

_“I fought it off? How?”_

_“Shhh.” He put a finger to his lips, “I can’t tell you. But first round of testing was a success. You gave me valuable information. Onto test two then.”_

_“Test two?” I said weakly a sudden wave of exhaustion sweeping over me._

_“How well do you think you can handle three different poisons all at the same time?”_

_The ‘tests’ continued ranging from poisons and how many volts of electricity I could handle._

_The days flew by in blurry pain and Hawthorne was getting frustrated with me._

_“I have hurt you and hurt you and you still have screamed!” He slammed his hands down. “I’m taking a break! James and Henry can play with you.”_

_He stormed out and was replaced by two men, their faces hidden by black masks. They were softly hitting their hands with spiked clubs._

_The entered my cell and closed the door behind them. One set down his club and cuffed my legs and then my hands behind my back._

_With a swift kick, he brought me to my knees and I heard the whistle as the club bore down. I would have screamed except I couldn’t breathe._

_I felt the blood flow as I was hit again. Gasping, I tried to shield my neck as the blows kept coming. Loud cracks echoed as bone after bone was broken._

_The pain was intense and only the electric volts had been on par with this and I did what I had done then, blacked out._

_I woke up and saw blood splattered walls. I was dizzy from the blood loss and felt my clothes drying onto the open cuts, making it painful to move._

_I couldn’t put any weight on my legs, both were shattered as was my right arm. My left arm was still intact though several ribs were not._

_Blood rolling down my nose meant my head was bleeding though it was to numb to feel where. I pushed myself up slowly, supporting myself with the good arm._

_I glanced around and saw James and Henry outside the cell cleaning my blood off their clubs._

_“At least I wasn’t out that long.” I thought not knowing whether to be reassured or not._

_Hawthorne chose this minute to walk in, appearing much calmer than when I had last seen him. He took one good look at me and gaped._

_“You idiots!” He screamed. “You practically killed her! I’m going to have to wait until she heals and that means a delay on my testing!”_

_He descended towards them with a menacing look, “Go get Gale and pray she heals fast!”_

_The scurried out of the room and he frowned at me, “You look like something out of a nightmare.”_

_I was too tired to care and I lowered myself back down. I heard light footsteps and a low whistle._

_“The boys are so violent sometimes.” A feminine voice declared, as a pretty face peered down at me. She was pretty with black hair pulled into a loose pony-tail and her green eyes shone with intelligence._

_“Give her a round of anesthesia. I’ll fix her up when she out.” She ordered to a person beyond my line of sight._

_It turned out to be Easton and he gave me a look of indifference as he gave me a dose. I fell out quickly and woke up feeling like I was being squeezed._

_I was, by bandages. I looked like a mummy and had little range of movement. I was resting on a soft bed which was a first for my stay here._

_Gale came in shortly to check on me and give me a hot meal. “Well almost dying has its perks.” I thought. “Nice to have a real meal and not some bland protein mush.”_

_I was ‘hospitalized’ for eight weeks and was glad that Gale was a nice companion. The bandages off my ribs and arm had come off but my legs had been shattered so bad they required extra time._

_Gale came in briskly that morning, “Morning Ella! Guess what?”_

_“What?”_

_“You get to go stay with your brother while your finishing recovering!”_

_I stared at her, mouth hanging open._

_“Snap out of it, don’t you want to see him?”_

_She lifted me into a wheelchair and toted me through one of the back halls of the warehouse. She stopped at a door and knocked._

_It opened quickly and I was smushed by a lively boy._

_“Ella, I missed you so much!” He cried into my shoulder and I pulled him in hugging tightly. I had no idea how they had been treating Tommy but from the looks of it, not too bad._

_“I missed you too.” I whispered._

_He gave gale a sweet smile, “I’ve got it from here.”_

_Tommy wheeled me into his room with a determined effort. He began talking as fast as lightning about various things._

_Here it is summed up: Geffrey was nice and had given him his own room with lots of toys and games. He was allowed outside once a day. He wasn’t allowed to see me. I was apparently working on a secret project. He was allowed sweets and had made friends with Easton, Gale, Sarah, Ilene, and Greg. I was staying with him because I had fallen out of a window and hurt my legs. Once I was done with the project they would both get relocated to a fancy house._

_I found out that it had been a year and a half since Hawthorne had bought us making Tommy six and I eleven._

_Tommy was fitting in with his charming personality, he was still a happy ball of energy and even though he was being lied to, there was no reason to tell him that his ‘friends’ were child abusers._

_In fact, if I did, it would jeopardize his safety. So, I went along with his beliefs and relished the time we could spend together._

_I healed too fast for my liking and soon it was time for me to resume working on my project. As a parting gift Tommy handed me a locket. Inside was a small picture of his smiling face, brunet hair tossed to the side and blue eyes sparkling._

_“I picked out the locket online and Geffrey took the picture. Do you like it?”_

_I put it on and beamed, “I love it. I shall never take it off as long as I live.”_

****************************************************************************

“Gross.” Nathanial shuddered. “I never understood………….family relationships and all this mushy stuff is interfering with the main story.”

He pulled up the sleeve of his white lab coat and checked the time on his watch and sighed, “Out of time. You know the drill, soundproof barrier, and all. We’ll finish this later today or I’ll be cruel and make you wait till tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and yes, Nathanial Hawthorne is a fourth wall breaker. I'll have more moments were he does so:) Ella's backstory wasn't going to be this long originally but I got new ideas and expanded it. Sorry if it's a little annoying. i should finish it soon and we can continue on with the story. Also we'll find out what Cliff and Tail have been up to soon:)
> 
> P.S. This chapter was kinda dark. I would like your opinion (yes, your wonderful opinion) on whether or not a mature rating is appropriate or is it fine at teen?


	10. Chapter 10

_*****************************************************************************_

_It was back to testing, but my spirit had been renewed. Tommy was alive and fine and that was enough for me to quietly fight back._

_I shed no more tears, nor did I black out. The pain was no different but my outlook had changed. I would be strong, not for myself but for Tommy._

_I knew where Tommy was making it feasible to plan an escape route. I just had to find the weak point in the security._

_I kept careful track of the days that passed. Funny how all it took was one moment to fire up my spirit but one moment is all that’s needed to completely break it._

_Nathanial came in early that morning. I should have known something was up just from that._

_“We’re doing something different today. I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’ve collected tons of data from you, but I have yet to achieve my one goal.” He approached the cell and slammed a fist on it. “Today is the day I break you, today is the day you’ll scream.”_

_He gave a hollow laugh, “In other words I’m going to cheat.”_

_“What do you mean cheat? I was unaware we were abiding by any rules.” I walked towards him and stared up into his eyes._

_“You had no rules.” He scoffed, “You can’t change anything I decide to do. I simply made rules for myself to make the game more fun.”_

_“Which rule are you breaking.” My voice didn’t waver and I held my ground._

_“The rule on memories.” He turned around swiftly, “Easton! You know what to do.”_

_I was cuffed again to the moving table and dropped off at the computer. Easton as always was quick to leave._

_“I won’t explain how it works but I’m going to sift through your memories.” Hawthorne spoke quietly as he activated a metal arm._

_“I’m not letting you look at my memories.”_

_He only raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. And the metal arm descended upon my head. I fought to hold onto my memories using every ounce of energy I had to keep them from being sucked into full view._

_It was painful, like small rods of burning iron interwoven into every part of your brain. I couldn’t hold on forever and I felt them slipping away and I couldn’t stop it._

_“Mmmmhhhh, not interesting. Not helpful. Aha!” Nathanial had the arm retreat and he bopped my nose, “Found it.”_

_“Found what.” I spat, angry at myself for caving in._

_“Your greatest weakness.” He sat back relishing the moment, “I find family to be stupid and unnecessary but you find the source of your strength, the will to breath, your purpose for existing in your brother.”_

_“Don’t you dare touch him.” I hissed, I sounded like I was going to kill someone if he did._

_“Point proven.” He laughed, “The game is over.”_

_He stood up, “Easton! Put her back into her cell.”_

_Once I was contained he once again yelled, “Geffrey! Go and get Tommy.”_

_“You monster!” I cried and punched the walls with a trembling fist. Tommy was escorted into the room with a distressed look on his face._

_“Ella? Why are you in a cage? What’s going on?”_

_“Tommy get out of here!” I yelled. He bolted but was stopped at the door by a masked man._

_“James, throw him here.” Hawthorne ordered and pointed at a space in the middle of the floor. He dialed a code into the computer and out of a hidden compartment came a large gun attached to a metal arm._

_Tommy was tossed on the ground as a low hum filled the room. My brain raced and I quickly observed the walls were unsteady, the gun was draining some of their power. I backed up and ran shoulder forward._

_With a slam the wall glitched and vaporized, Tommy was attempting getting up but was having trouble. He must have hurt something on the way down.  I ran faster I had to push Tommy out of the blast but just as I was two feet away, the gun fired._

_Everything went into slow motion as I watched his body jolt from the blow. Blood drops flew as his body crashed down against the floor._

_I could feel the horror spread across my face. A disbelieving scream left my mouth. Tommy was dead._

_But I didn’t want to accept it, I couldn’t. I faced Hawthorne with an uncontrollable rage. I took a deep breath, formed a plan, and charged. His smiling face changed to shock but I juked out at the last minute._

_Hastily I hit three buttons on the computer and started the self- destruct sequence. Nathanial was still gapping at me and I gave him a punch square in the jaw before darting off to pick up the still form of my brother._

_“He’s not dead, just get him to a hospital and he’ll be fine.” I reassured myself. I hurried out of the warehouse and glanced back to see Hawthorne scrabbling to un-do the self-destruct. And yelling at James to help._

_I held Tommy tighter up against my chest and ran with all the adrenaline and doubt that was flooding my mind._

_I ran until I could run no more, my legs gave way beneath me and I kneeled panting for a solid minute. I then let myself became aware of Tommy’s condition._

_Deep down I knew he had died but this only cemented it in. He wound had bleed onto my shirt, he was pale and cold._

_The tears began to fall involuntary. I sobbed over my brother until I had no more tears left. I looked around and saw no town in sight. I was standing in a green field messed up by at least six different piles of dirt._

_“Construction,” I thought and a large tree on a small untouched slope caught my attention. I got up and stumbled towards it. When I arrived I gently laid Tommy down under it and smoothed the hair out of his face._

_I kissed his forehead and then went and grabbed a shovel that had been left behind and dug out a grave for him. Hawthorne would be after me soon and I never wanted to see him again._

_Settling him in the deep hole, I whispered, “Please forgive my inability to keep my promise.”_

_I slowly covered him up with dirt. The sun slowly went down leaving me with a red sky, as if it was mourning along with me._

_“Good-bye Tommy.” My body summoned one last tear to roll down my cheek and land on his grave._

_I steeled myself and began to run again. “Police, I must get to the police.”_

_It was early morning when fatigued I found the town of Sand Valley. My body ached for sleep but I persisted till I came to the Police Station._

_“Help, I need help.” My voice came out hoarse and raspy form so much running. The police officer manning the desk stood up immediately._

_“Good Lord kid! You’re bleeding! What happened? Wait I’m going to call an ambulance first.”_

_“I don’t need an ambulance. This is the blood of my brother, he was murdered by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne.” I managed to get out._

_He stared at me, “Kid you seem really out of it. Are you sure you know what happened?”_

_I was surprised that he didn’t believe me and didn’t respond right away._

_“I’m going to call my friend over.” He reached over and picked up a phone. He talked for a bit and soon another police officer came._

_He checked me over then went over to converse with the first officer._

_“She is bleeding, George, but it’s not life threatening.”_

_“What do you think happened Sam?”_

_“Don’t know. She may have fallen and gotten confused.”_

_George faced me, “What’s your name?”_

_“Ashley.” I don’t know what compelled me to hide my real name but I was thankful for it later._

_“Sam, can you check to see if there’s an Ashley reported missing?” he pulled him in closer and I could just make out his next words. “She might be delusional. If that’s the case she’ll need to be locked up, don’t want her hurting herself.”_

_Locked up? I had just escaped from being locked up! I had to get out of here._

_“You can rest if you want.” George said nicely._

_I nodded. If I tried to run they’d chase after me. If I told them any more about what I went through they’d lock me up. I’d have to pretend not to know anything, fake amnesia._

_“Sir. Why am I here? I can’t remember anything.”_

_George looked at me in surprise. “Do you remember coming in here?”_

_I shook my head. “I can only remember a name.”_

_“What name?”_

_“Ashley.”_

_He picked up the phone again. “Sam? Ashley can’t remember anything. I think’s it’s amnesia from whatever she went through. You couldn’t find a missing girl? I’ll contact the local orphanage. Yeah, we should send for a doctor a hospital might traumatize her. All right, bye.”_

_“Sir,” I piped up, “can I keep my amnesia on the down low? I don’t want anyone to take advantage of me.”_

_12 hours later I was cleared to go to Sun Valley’s orphanage. That night was when Tommy’s death hit me like a sledge hammer._

_(bold means it’s a dream)_

**_Standing in a sunny field, I saw my home off in the distance. A young voice called my name and I turned to see Tommy beckoning for me to come closer. I skipped across the grass to meet him._ **

**_“Tommy! Let’s go play.”_ **

**_His smiling face faded into a look of scorn and the sunny sky changed to a dim grey._ **

**_“Why would I play with a murderer?”_ **

**_“I’m not a murderer.”_ **

**_“Really? I beg to differ. You just buried the person you killed.”_ **

**_I grabbed his shoulders and shook him, “I didn’t kill anyone and snap out of it. This isn’t like you!”_ **

**_“Isn’t it?” He sneered, “But you wouldn’t know cause I’m dead.”_ **

**_Blood pooled across his neck and his head rolled off. I let go of his shoulder and his body crashed to the ground._ **

**_“Murderer.” He hissed._ **

_I clutched my chest panting, “Just a dream.” I laid back down heart pounding and tried to go back to sleep. The minute I drifted off I was met with another nightmare._

_Sleep never happened that night. Or the night after that. Exhausted became my default position. I caught small snatches of sleep here and there but the nightmares prevented anything longer than an hour._

_I remained mostly detached from the rest of the people at the orphanage. It was hard to pretend to be happy and fine when inside I felt listless and empty._

_I couldn’t tell anyone about my brother and keeping it hidden didn’t help. I would crouch into a small ball of terror when night came, I was scared to sleep and face another nightmare._

_Time didn’t heal the pain, in fact with each passing day I felt worse. The voices in my head screamed day and night on how I was a worthless blob who failed to protect the one I had promised to keep safe._

_Twelve and depressed. It was a morbid thought and morbid position. The pain hurt so bad that I found myself standing on a bridge peering down into the watery depths below._

_I began to talk to myself, “I wouldn’t have to jump, a step is all that’s needed. The pain would be gone. There’d be no more nightmares. It would be over quickly. I’d be dead and gone. My useless life wouldn’t take up space anymore. I could escape it all.”_

_The word escape hung in the air. Escape? Wasn’t that like running away? Letting Hawthorne win?_

_“I won’t ever let Hawthorne win.” I yelled at the sky and went back to the orphanage. I needed to find a purpose, a reason for existing, something Tommy would approve of._

_I didn’t even know what my parent’s work was or how they had died. No time like the present to find out. It took a lot of internet research but I was able to track down the nanny from my child hood._

_I sent her a secure, untraceable email reading:_

_“Nanny,_

_It has recently come to my attention that I have not yet heard of the occupation my parents held while still among the living. If you could inform me, I would be most grateful._

_Ella”_

_The reply came faster than I expected:_

_“Ella, dear, I thought you were dead! How is Timothy doing? To answer your question, I only know that your parents worked in the government._

_Please keep in touch,_

_Nanny”_

_“Timothy is with my parents. Thanks, for the information. Regrettably I cannot keep in touch. No need for me to explain but you cannot tell anyone that you know I’m alive. It will put you in harm’s way._

_Ella”_

_I then learned the art of hacking and found my parent’s files. It stated that they had been working on taking down Operation C and had perished in the process. After their demise, they had been found to be in possession of D.B.P illegally and had already used a considerable amount._

_I couldn’t find anything that explained what D.B.P stood for. The details on Operation C were under extreme lock down and took a good three hours of hacking to get through._

_Operation C was run by a rogue genius named Nathanial Hawthorne. He kidnapped children and used them in inhumane experiments. He sold his findings underhand to any party interested and had earned quite the sum. He was almost impossible to catch and his ‘labs’ were everywhere and hard to find. Due to the business on hand Operation C was left alone._

_And just like that I had found a purpose._

_“Get ready Hawthorne.” I told the picture. “I’m taking down your stupid project.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be done with Ella's backstory after the next chapter. I make no promises though ;) Once I've gotten her backstory out of the way we'll have a chapter on Cliff and Tail. 
> 
> The Decepticons also have a planned appearance. I don't know if I'll keep it but it's definitely being considered. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) 
> 
> P.S 'The business on hand' was the Cybertronians coming to earth.
> 
> P.P.S. Here some links to several songs that sum up Ella's emotions pretty well (not perfectly of course):  
> 1\. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X5g0h1ABsRY  
> 2\. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3JBn7ZCIHg  
> 3\. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5Yocy3WXg  
> 4\. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfbUUBSijUI


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long to update, I'll explain why in the end notes.

“That punch surprisingly hurt.” Nathanial mused rubbing his jaw, “I was prepared for a mental break down. But I didn’t suspect that you would have figured out the self-destruct code. For your own information, I was monitoring you after your escape.”

He gave Ella a cunning look, “Those police officers? They were James and Henry undercover. I couldn’t let you go tell the government I had just murdered someone. That would have made my capture a priority again.”

He leaned back on his only arm, “It was wonderful watching you become suicidal, all the pain and self-blame.  You beat yourself up worse than I ever did. Some days I’m glad you didn’t kill yourself, I still have tests in mind for you. On other days, I wish you had.”

“Get to the point.” Ella said harshly, seeing him again, going back through memories she had buried, didn’t help her emotional state.

“The point is that I expected you to be broken, for a long time. But no, you went off from the plan, recovered and disappeared.”

“You’re, you’re so mean!” Miko’s voice interrupted, tight with rage, her go to emotion in difficult situations. “How can you even enjoy causing someone that much pain?”

“How can I enjoy it?” Hawthorne walked over to Miko’s shared cell. “I’m a psychopath. I live to cause people pain. Also, this story needed a villain.”

“I hate you!”

“And I don’t care about your opinions.” He countered.  “Shall we continue? You would probably enjoy this part, when Ella decided to get a hero complex.” He rolled his eyes as if the idea of it was ridiculous. 

“I would skip it but it’s necessary for the story’s plot. There are a couple of questions that need answers. But I will summarize it because why not?”

*********************************************************************************

_Ella left the orphanage. This was unseen and she was undetectable for a while. Turns out she had gone to an underground fighting group to train._

_Honing her ability to pick things up quickly, she was able to learn several marital arts, the use of swords, guns, and knifes, in the span of a year._

_Ella had lethal accuracy and won the title of Deadliest Woman Alive from an underground fight competition at fourteen._

_Her prizes included a motorcycle, katanas, knife set, and a silver laced hand gun with twenty bullets._

_Ella wasted no time coming after me. She hacked into my systems and found the locations of the 32 bases I had around the U.S. and set to work taking them down._

_It usually ran like this:_

_She would sneak towards the warehouse in a lightweight black ninja outfit, gun strapped to her hip, katanas on her back, and knifes lined along her belt and boots._

_Upon entering, she’d knock out as many of my employees without being detected. As soon as her presence was detected she would disable the rest with more violent means._

_She never killed anyone, having some Batman crap of a moral code. After releasing my test subjects she’d erase all the data collected on the computers and send out a location to the government._

_The government would send in an agency to confiscate the warehouse, lock up the ‘bad guys’, and watch over the orphans to make sure they weren’t ever touched again._

_Ella would then move on to the next base. Four years and 26 warehouses later the government, having never trusted Ella, demanded unexpectedly that she work with the agency and not solo. _

_A team of fifteen lead by Agent Fowler was sent in. The first mission working together was a disaster. The agents mostly made up of arrogant jerks, stormed the base and opened fire. It resulted in thirteen dead. Three agents, eight employees and two kids._

_The agents believed it to be a success and when Ella stated otherwise, got temperamental. The ending was her locket being smashed and Ella breaking ties with the government jerks._

_Continuing her mission, she finally only had one left. The one I was stationed at about two hours away from Jasper, Nevada._

_Her ‘purpose’ in life ruined mine. Without data to sell, I began to run out of money. Without money, you couldn’t hire anyone. Until the only one still around was Geffrey._

_I had to capture Ella again, because D.B.P stood for Defense Boost against Poison. A serum designed to build up someone’s immune system to fight off every poison known to man._

_It had been dropped and banned due to the experimental process necessary to refine it to working use. But Ella’s parents had designed a theory on how to refine it without the questionable tests._

_I thought they’d given it to her intentionally but turns out it was an accident. Anyhow with enough knowledge about how it worked I could replicate it and rise back to my former glory._

_So, when Ella came to take down the last base, I was good and ready. Unknown to her I had set up a motion triggered vibration device._

_For those of you who don’t know, everything vibrates on a certain frequency. If you send out vibrations that match that particular frequency it will explode._

_I wasn’t about to kill her, this would only mimic what it would feel like if every single cell her body was exploding, though a couple could very well explode just the same._

_It worked flawlessly, I had her writhing on the ground in unmatched agony as her body felt like it was being twisted to pieces._

_She passed out, blood spilling out her mouth as her body began to bleed internally. I shut off the vibrations and went to work preparing a set of tests to crack how D.B.P worked._

_When she awoke, and found it too painful to move, I couldn’t help but gloat a bit. It was then that I showed her the tape of her parent’s murder, to remove all doubt about who was responsible for their demise._

_I had ill luck in pulling out the sequence for D.B.P from them but had managed to recover a small memory of their daughter containing it._

_It was foggy and I was unsure if it was factual but it was worth a shot. I resorted to torturing the mother to break the father into telling where his precious little kids were._

_The mother snapped her own neck so that her husband wouldn’t have to choose between the two. Having no use for the dad, I had his head chopped off, before beginning my search for the little duckies._

_Showing her that footage was a mistake on my part. It ignited a strength inside her and she got up, destroyed the vibration device with a precise knife throw, and drew her sword._

_I wasn’t prepared for that; the vibrations should have rendered her unable to move for a long time. She came at me and I embarrassingly enough never stood a chance._

_With a swing, she cut of my right arm and shoved me to the floor and said menacingly, “Accept this defeat Hawthorne, and never show your face again or you won’t own any more limbs.”_

_Conclusion: she moved into Jasper, since it was close to her brother’s grave and started a new life. She gave up her real name, too many painful memories were attached to it, and became Ashley.”_

_***************************************************************************_

“As for me,” Nathanial looked up from the memories he had been skipping through, “I never accepted the defeat. I took out a loan, got an inside job to give me back some of my technology and set about building myself a useful prosthetic arm. Geffrey monitored Ashley for me, being the old guy who sat eating in the background of the beginning chapter.”

Confused looks caused Hawthorne to cough uncomfortably, “Never mind. The inside job also gave me intel on Cybertronians. I got in touch with a Starscream, who let me know of the working of dark energon and how it brought the dead to life. Theoretically it could give me back my arm.

I stuck a deal with him, if I helped him take down his leader, Megatron, he’d give me a supply of dark energon to work with. I made a formula that shuts down energon completely, off lining a bot almost instantly.

Geffrey found out about your base and since I still had revenge to dish out, I captured you all. And now that were all caught up, I have to see the effects of dark energon on a human.”

He smiled widely, “Bring in the great reveal boys!”

Three of his new employees wheeled in a large cylinder covered in a white sheet. Hawthorne shooed them away and then yanked off the cover, leaving the dark purple liquid exposed for all to see.  

Hawthorne let out an evil giggle, “Ready to get hooked up, Ashley?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the reason it took so long was:   
> 1\. I was out of town over the weekend due to a family matter. 
> 
> And that's really the only reason, except for school consumes a lot of my time and I can't write as long as I would like. I apologize in advance if more updates take longer than expected. 
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter!:) Please, comment and like! Or leave suggestions and constructive criticism!:) 
> 
> P.S. I still need to know if you think this story needs an Mature rating or if teen if fine. If no one objects, I'll keep it at teen.


	12. Chapter 12

24 hours earlier at the Autobot Base.

“What do you mean they’re gone!” Fowler yelled and Cliffjumper winced at the volume.

“We arrived back at the base to find it empty.” Tailgate explained, “We tried to radio them but only got static.”

“So, we called you to see if you knew what was going on.” Cliffjumper interrupted.

Fowler’s voice let out a crackled sigh through the computer speakers. “I can’t believe this is happening. Fifty feet bots, missing!”

“Have any ideas?” Cliff prodded.

“Did you check the security cameras?”

“Can’t, never learned how to handle this human stuff.” Cliffjumper quickly dismissed the idea and yawned.

“I hate to admit it but he’s right.” Tailgate shot the slouching bot a death glare.

“I can come handle it,” Fowler said after a minute, “but don’t move, we already have enough of a problem without you two disappearing.”  

The agent hung up, leaving the two bots in silence.

“That was helpful.” Cliff drawled.

“Now is no time for sarcasm.” Tailgate snapped.

“Cool your systems.” The red mech mocked before noticing the worried look on his friend’s face.

 The nice thing would be to reassure him but Cliffjumper was a sarcastic bot who only saw the best outcome of a particular situation.

A hundred Decepticons trying to blast his head off? He’d win with a servo behind his back. Crush on Arcee? He’d have her madly in love with him…..soon enough, anyway.  Most of the team goes missing? They’d find them and have a party afterward.

Raising the spirits of Tailgate, the level-headed bot with a tendency to be pessimistic? A drastic failure of awkwardness unless…

“T.G. we could, uh, look for their life signals while were waiting for Fowler.”

Tailgate’s face plates lifted and Cliff smiled. Thank primus it worked. A bot freaking out was no fun to hang around with.

Meanwhile the blue mech was hastily pulling up the life signals of the missing Autobots.

“Capital idea! Now get over here.”

Cliff grudgingly complied, “Why do I have to come over?”

“Because I’ve found them!”

This caught Cliff’s attention, “Really?”

He peered at the screen. Sure enough, all five life signals glowed brightly in the exact same spot in a part of Jasper, Nevada.

“I’ll go check it out, you stay and wait for Fowler.” Cliffjumper said as he transformed and left before Tailgate could finish talking.

“Cliff were………….suppose to wait together.” The lone mech shook his head and followed Cliffjumper’s signal on the map.

When Cliff arrived at the coordinates, he com-med Tailgate in bewilderment.

**C: It’s a flat plain**

**T: Scan to see if there’s something underground**

**C: Nothing, I’m going on ahead. There’s a town not to far away. The computer might me acting up.**

**T: Have you moved yet?**

**C: I’m almost at the town, why? Can’t you see my signal?**

**T: Your signal hasn’t moved from the other signals.**

Cliffjumper braked hard as he took in what Tailgate had just said.

**C: It hasn’t moved? Hold up, tell me when my signal moves again.**

The dodge charger sped off in a diagonal, bull horns glinting on the hood.

**T: Your signal is moving.**

Cliffjumper began to do a zig-zag.  

**T: Its stopped, no its moving. Stopped, moving. What in the Allspark is going on?**

**C: It’s some kind of a block. We going to have to trace it out. Our team might be inside it.**

Cliffjumper continued while Tailgate marked it out on the map. In the middle of this Fowler arrived.

“Why are you alone.” Was the first words out of his mouth.

“Cliff left of his own accord.” The mech defended.

Fowler pinched his nose in exasperation, “What is he doing?”

“Mapping out the perimeter of a life signal block.”

“I give up on him. Go get captured moron! See if I care!” Fowler muttered angrily to himself. He headed over to the human sized computer and pulled up the security footage.

“Hey, tall guy! Can you send this video to your idiot of a friend?” And a file popped up on the big screen.

Tailgate sent it to Cliffjumper and then watched it himself. The video depicted the coughing fit, Miko, Jack, Raf, and Ashley had. The Autobots shutting down because of the serum injected into their systems and then a huge, complicated system of cranes and transportations that toted them away.  

The one directing it was the already known Nathanial Hawthorne. Though his identity was lost on the other bots, it wasn’t on Fowler.

“It’s that damn psycho again!” Fowler blinked. “I could have sworn his file report labeled him as ‘dead’.”

**C: Is this guy bad news?**

“You’d better believe it.” The agent’s eyes narrowed. “Finish tracing out that block, sounds like one of his tricks.”

It took several hours but Cliffjumper traced out a huge circle encompassing ten thousand square miles where life signals were blocked.

**C: It’ll take a lot of time to scout out this whole area.**

**F: This madman will probably have them being held together, so pay close attention to large buildings.**

**C: Roger that, but it’ll still take a while.**

**T: I’ll come help, it’ll go faster.**

**C: All right. Cliff out.**

 “What are we going to do about the kid’s families?” Tailgate asked a sudden realization dawning on him. “They’re bound to be worried by now.”

 “I’ll find a way to explain their disappearance. But the priority now is to find them.” Fowler paused, “Mind if I get a ride as well? I have an old mistake to correct.”

Tailgate nodded and they headed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!:) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have suggestions on Tailgate personality please leave a comment. I'm mostly guessing because Transformer's Prime doesn't give a cookie cutter personality for him, just hints. 
> 
> P.S. If you enjoy a wonderfully told story with tons of feels, check out Under Your Armour by Duchess Winter. It's a Megatron/Reader fic and I highly recommend it! :) 
> 
> P.P.S Fowler does not recognize Ashley, he only every saw her once in her ninja suit (it covers up most of her face) but he will find out later.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sincerest apologizes for the wait. I tried to update earlier but for some reason it wouldn't let me.

Six hours into their search and without any helpful finds, an Autobot emergency beacon went off and attempts to connect through the com were made.

**T: Tailgate and Cliffjumper here, who is this?**

**W: Wheeljack, and I’m knee deep in scrap.**

Loud explosions came through and, “Come and get it you filthy ‘cons!” was heard before several gun shots were fired.

**C: Not surprised.**

**W: Very funny, where’s Bulkhead? Couldn’t connect through the radio.**

**T: His location is unknown.**

**C: What he means is that except for us the rest of Team Prime is missing.**

**W: Should have known this sort of fragging stuff would happen and no one would tell me.**

**T: To get back to the subject. Do you require immediate assistance?**

**W: I don’t know, do you think fifty Vehicons shooting at you _requires immediate assistance_? **

**C: Don’t be such a pain, Wheelie. Since you need us, you’re stuck. So, what happened to your ship?**

**W: That is none of your business. The only thing you need to know is that the Jackhammer is grounded.**

**C: It was probably something stupid.**

Cliffjumper sang it out, immensely enjoying the whole thing. The almighty Wrecker actually needed help! This was pure gold and Wheeljack was never going to live it down.

**W: Shut up!**

**C: Knew it.**

**T: That’s quite enough sparklings. Send in your coordinates we’ll be there shortly.**

“This had better be quick.” Fowler said. “We need to find your team.”

**C: Even if it’s not, we can get Wheelie to help.**

Tailgate opened a ground bridge and the two cars sped into the swirling vortex.  Cliffjumper transformed as he exited, holding up his blasters with a smug look across his face plates.

He began firing the minute a ‘con came into view. Tailgate used the cover while Fowler got out and headed for a safe spot, out of the way of the towering Cybertronians.

Tailgate then entered the fray, Wheeljack could be seen close by slicing off purple heads and blasting through chest plates.  

Off in the distance the Jackhammer could be seen in a terrible condition. Huge holes had been torn into the sides and the engines where sending up dense black smoke.

**C: Primus Wheelie! How’d you manage to wreck it that bad?**

The red mech swung his leg around and slammed his ped straight through a red visor sending the unfortunate vehicons to the ground.

**W: I said it was none of your business. Just focus on the ‘cons.**

The wrecker shot down two more while deflecting a stream of blasts with only one gleaming sword.

**C: Did Hardshell have anything to do with it?**

Tailgate shook his head in exasperation as he landed a punch on a ‘cons already leaking side.

**W: Cliff, if you say another word, I’ll make you regret it.**

He was now using both swords, stabbing Vehicons violently. Blowing off steam.

**C: Alright, I was just wondering. But you really should stop picking fights with that Insecticon.**

The vents on all three autobots cycled on high. But Wheeljack’s let out a loud hiss.

**W: That’s it. The ‘cons will be scrap soon and then you’ll be dented.**

In his fury, the wrecker missed the Vehicon aiming straight at his spark as what was left of the squad began to retreat. He saw it coming to late and only had time to move enough that it hit nine inches to the left of his chamber.

He fell back with a resounding thud.

*****************************************************************************

“Cliffjumper, you better know what you’re doing.”

“Shh! I’m trying to concentrate. Hand me that thing over there.”

“This?”

“Yeah, that.”

Wheeljack heard the voices through the fog that clouded his systems and felt something connect to his arm.

“Ratchet made this look so easy.”

The complaint drifted in sounding very far away but Wheeljack identified it as Cliffjumper.

“He’s the medic, of course he’d make it look easy.”

That was definitely Tailgate.

“Is he going to be okay?”

This was a new voice and it took a while for him to find the matching name, Fowler.

“Well I’ve done all I can.”

The wrecker opened his optic slowly and saw a blurry red form hovering over him.

“He’s up at least.”

His vison began to clear and Tailgate came into view just behind Cliffjumper. He attempted to sit up but was stopped by a searing pain that shot through his sensors.

“Don’t move! You’ll hurt yourself.” Cliffjumper gently pushed him back down on the medical berth. “You sustained a blast close to your spark, couple inches and you would have died.”

Wheeljack looked down on his chest and saw a clumsily welded wound with singe marks surrounding it.

“It looks terrible,” Cliffjumper said apologetically, “but you’re not leaking energon anymore.”

“Jackhammer?” Wheeljack managed to get out, finding his voice box stiff.

“Still wrecked and where you left it.” Tailgate replied, “But I might be able to shove it in here.”

“Glad to know your ship means more than your life.” Cliff said sarcastically, injured at not getting a thank you. “You were offline for close to two hours by the way.”  

“I know that saving his life was important but we have five bots still missing.” Fowler cut in. “I’m not trying to be insensitive but it’s been nine hours.”

“Eight hours and thirty-two minutes.” Tailgate corrected.  

“You were counting?” Cliffjumper quickly raised up a servo to stop Tailgate before he could open his mouth. “Don’t answer, it was rhetorical.”

The red mech glanced back at Wheeljack. The wrecker had slipped into recharge and the cable attached to his arm pumped in the last of energon he needed.

Cliff bent over and disconnected the cable from the limp arm. A wave of guilt washed over him. If he hadn’t distracted Wheeljack he wouldn’t be hurt.

He pushed it aside, now was not the time.

“T.G. you can go continue the search with Fowler. I’ll stay with Wheelie.”  

Tailgate prepped a ground bridge when a loud beeping rang from the computer console.

“What in the Allspark is it now!” Cliff cried impatiently, walking over to check.

He shut his optics and let out a long sigh, 

“Primus Tailgate. It’s another Autobot emergency beacon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ever so much for taking time out of your busy day to read my story, it really means a lot to me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a vacation and my writing suffered because of it :(   
> But I'm back and should be updating sooner. If I fail keep up with it, feel free to yell at me in the comments.   
> I probably deserve it.

_“Another?”_ Fowler’s voice was beyond annoyed.

“Yep, from a Decepticon escape pod.” The red mech turned and smiled encouragingly, “Come on Tailgate, let’s go save another aft.”

“Just don’t die.” Fowler sighed as the bridged to the coordinates.

The rocky terrain with spruce trees sparsely scattered around offered only a small amount of cover. The two autobots had to make do with what they had, as they attempted to scrap the Decepticons that had gotten there before them.

“If this turns out to be a false alarm someone will regret it.” Tailgate shouted over the uproar of blaster fire.

“I can hear you loud and clear over _the com_!” Cliff shouted back.

**T: Don’t get cocky.**

**C: The pod’s leaking energon everywhere. We should probab-**

BOOM!

Both bots ducked quickly behind a boulder as the energon blew up. Sending the unfortunate ‘cons flying. The rest left as soon as possible leaving the dead and wounded behind.

“A good shot if I do say so myself.” A voice called out.

Cautiously peaking over the top, the two mech’s saw a young bot grinning proudly.

“Autobot?” Tailgate inquired.

“Wouldn’t be on any other side!” Was the cheerful reply.

“Gotta like his energy.” Cliff commented with a playful nudge to help lighten the look of despair on his friend’s face.

“Energy? _Energy?”_ Tailgate’s voice box raised an octave. “This guy is the carbon copy of you! Not to mention he is clearly a _rookie._ We’ll be lucky if we make it back to the base without getting blow up!”

“I can hear you.” The multicolor bot said indignantly, servos on his hips. “My name is Smokescreen. Yours?”

Cliff walked about from behind the boulder practically dragging Tailgate behind him. “This is Tailgate and I’m Cliffjumper, the best Autobot around.”

“Puh-lease! We both know Arcee claims that title.” Tailgate interjected, “Or have you forgotten how she saved your aft?”

“She saved your aft too!” Cliff shot back. “And if you want to get all technical, Optimus Prime would be the best.”

“Wow, wow, you _know_ Optimus Prime?” Smokescreen’s optics lit up with pure excitement.

“Yep, were a part of Team Prime.” The red mech stated proudly.

The young bot’s field radiated reverence and excitement. “That’s, that’s amazing! Can I meet him? Please let me meet him!”

Tailgate flashed Cliffjumper a ‘are-you-going-to-trust-this-new-guy-enough-to-tell-the-truth’ look.

“To be honest kid, he’s been kidnapped. Along with the rest of our team.”

The disbelief, concern, and fear that muddled over Smokescreen’s faceplates sent a pang of sorrow in Tailgate.

He’d seen that look before, that was the exact look Arcee had when Arachnid was torturing him. Bordering on despair it was a look that could fuel unknown power.

If she hadn’t fought so hard and broken out of the chains…….Arachnid would have won.

If he didn’t hurry, something bad could happen to the blue femme. Tailgate couldn’t bear to imagine Arcee being gone.

“Did the ‘cons have anything to do with it?” Smokescreen said angrily snapping Tailgate from his thoughts.

He had his peds grinding into an injured vehicon’s chest.

“Lord Starscream had no part in your team’s disappearance!” The bot cried out hurriedly, weakly trying to lift the heavy ped off his burning chest.

“Lord Starscream? What happen to Megs?” Cliff asked, pulling Smokescreen back so that he could face the fallen con.

“Megatron was immobilized by Lord Starscream.”

“Immobilized? Why didn’t Starscream offline him.” Tailgate inquired.  

“It was Lord Starscream’s intent to offline our late Lord but commander Soundwave escaped with Megatron before he could carry it out.”

“How long will he stay immobilized?” Cliff demanded as the con’s optics flickered. The energon loss he had sustained was too great and he would not last much longer.

“Lord Star-star-scream said per-perment-ly. I am no-not su-re if it-its.” The voice faltered as the vehicons spark slowly gave out.

“Not sure if it’s?” tailgate prodded.

“True.” Was the last word the solider gasped out before joining the Allspark.

The three autobots stood silently over the lifeless form.

“Starscream being in charge is bad news.” Tailgate finally said.

“No joke, that Star-jerk doesn’t own a brain.” Cliffjumper huffed.

“He’s not dumb. Just impulsive and rash.” Tailgate corrected. “Making him worse than Megatron.”

“We can’t waste time worrying about that, we have to find Optimus Prime.” Smokescreen stated firmly. “He’ll know how to deal with this better.”

“can’t argue with that.” Cliff smiled, “Why don’t you two go collect the Jackhammer while I check on Wheeljack?”

Tailgate’s face went from grim to horrified to grudgingly accepting in three seconds.

“I’m happy to do anything that’ll be useful!” Smokescreen pipped up. “Just one question, what’s the Jackhammer?”

********************************************************************************

     (Roughly _10 or so hours have now passed, meaning that I only have to write about 13 more!;)_

Back at the base Smokescreen leaned up against the Jackhammer trying to hide how tired he was from hauling the ship through the ground bridge.

He’d been introduced to Fowler, who had the same opinion of him that Tailgate had so eagerly expressed.  It hurt to be thought of as an irresponsible bot and Smokescreen was determined to prove that he was a reliably Autobot.

The other were debating who should do what and Smokescreen silently begged Primus that he could go out searching for the missing bots.

His good luck laughed at him and he was stuck monitoring Decepticon activity and watching the recharging wrecker.

He started sulking the minute they left, and idly stared at the computer. His thoughts wandered to what it would be like to actually save his idle, Optimus Prime!  

His mood did not improve as he dwelt on it. If only he was out there! If only they stopped treating him like a sparkling! But ifs where not reality, no matter how badly he wished they were.

He tapped his servos rapidly on the surface, glaring at the quiet screen.

“Why can’t you Decepticons ever be useful for once, cause trouble, and give me something to report!”  He spat out, all his frustration venting itself in a hateful form.

Smokescreen would regret those words from the bottom of his spark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, once I finish the story completely I will go back and re-edit the whole thing to improve it. I'm merely putting it up so that I don't lose any of my ideas and get into the flow of writing this story. So I will be making the plot smoother, dialog better, and fixing anything else you all point out sometime in the future! :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word was malfunctioning for the longest time! But it got up and running so here is the next chapter!:)

Tailgate felt his hope slipping away with each passing minute. He, Cliffjumper, and Fowler had been searching what seemed like a never-ending scope of land without even a trace of the Autobots.

What if they were never found? What if they failed? What would happen?

These doubts ran through his mind and Fowler was having similar fears. Cliffjumper ignored any apprehension he felt and continued scouting with so much persistence that Bumblebee would have been proud.

“If only………….”

“If only nothing!” The red mech scolded himself, “I will find them.”

His thoughts were interrupted when a panicked voice came through the com.

**S: Smokescreen to Team Rescue. We have a problem.**

*********************************************************************

_(Time lapse back onto the Nemesis before Starscream took over.)_

 

Megatron stood tall on the main deck, carefully taking in how efficiently his subordinates were working.

The nameless vehicons diligently tapping away and scanning for any dangers or autobots brought a sense of blissful power surging through the Warlords spark.

“This is how a crew should behave,” He mused to himself, “Not at all like that rag-tag group of bots Optimus leads.”

 There was barely any order and they voiced their opinions without a shred of respect.

And that fool Prime thought it was a good system! There was a _reason_ why there were only eight known Autobot survivors and hundreds of Decepticons.

And it all came down to control. Optimus’s army often made decisions on their own, leading to many failures. Or victories for him.

His army on the other servo, only did what he said and so long as they weren’t incompetent, his strategies prevailed. While he had a couple problem bots, Starscream being the most notable, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

It was good to know that soon Prime would soon fall and he could return all his energy to the restoration of Cybertron.

He would be lying if he didn’t admit that the few Autobots left were putting up an unanticipated stand. Optimus had been expected to be trouble but the other seven turned out to be surprisingly hardy.

But that was of no matter, they couldn’t last forever. The one named Wheeljack would probably fall first.

Working alone and being utterly reckless would contribute to this. He had sent out Hardshell and several other Insecticons to track him down.

And he should be receiving a report from them….. a door slid open and Megatron did not need to turn around to know who it was, the quietly footfalls gave Soundwave away.

It was a characteristic of the stealth master that Megatron appreciated, that and his unwavering loyalty. 

The third in command stood behind him, his silent presence soothingly familiar.

“Ah, Soundwave. My report?”

A slight nod and a recording began to play,

“We are narrowing down the scumbag’s position aboard the Jackhammer. We should have him cornered in a cycle.”

“Keep in touch with them.” Megatron ordered, “And locate Starscream. He has taken off almost a full deca-cycle in the last quartex.”

A small nod and then a map popped up with Starscream’s life signal moving towards the large ship.

“When he gets on board inform him that I would like to see him in private.” The steel colored mech stately walked out of the control room, headed to his office, and awaited the arrival of his second in command.

Soundwave met Starscream the minute he entered the long hallways, that run about the ship in a way that was confusing for one that was not accustomed to it.

As soon as the seeker caught sight of the masked mech his optics lit up. “Soundwave! Good to see you.” His wings flittered and Soundwave hid his surprise when a genuine smile graced Starscream’s face plates.

Text appeared on Soundwave’s mask. “Acknowledged. I have a message.”

The smile vanished, not in fear but in understanding. “Megatron, I presume? When your free later, I’d like to have a word with you.”

Text flashed again: “Yes, he wants to talk with you in private.”

Starscream stalked off heels clicking on the metal floor, wings still twitching. Soundwave was puzzled, this was odd behavior.

Well more odd than it normally was. Starscream had devolved what humans would call a ‘crush’ on him and that made the seeker act extremely awkward when alone with him.

It was a secret that Starscream had not yet told to anyone, mainly because being the arrogant bot he was he had no friends to tell. But it _had_ gone unnoticed by everyone except himself.

Starscream was very good at hiding even the least bit of attraction for Soundwave from every other Decepticon.

But Soundwave knew, and he thought it was ridiculous. It wasn’t that he downright hated Starscream, it was more the fact he was serving in the middle of a _war_ and had no time to make any emotional connections.

After the war, he might consider the situation, but for now Starscream was out of luck. He’d tell him so, as soon as the seeker got up enough courage to tell him how he felt.

But this was different, and Soundwave went back to the control room and hacked into the cameras in Megatron’s office.

It never hurt to be too cautious, it only ever hurt to be too trusting, and Starscream had serious flaws to fix before he was trustable.

For now, they were just talking but Soundwave took note of the rising annoyance in Megatron’s optics. Starscream was most likely giving a long explanation for his disappearance.

Soundwave was about to return to his duties since the conversation appeared to be closing when a small movement from Starscream sent his systems into high alert.

A panel had slid open close to the seekers wings revealing a vial filled with a bright green liquid. The thin servos slowly wrapped around it, careful to conceal the action from Megatron’s view.

Soundwave activated the alarm system instantly but watched as Starscream threw it with deadly aim at the warlord.

Startled by the alarm, Megatron’s reflexes were one second to slow and he sank to his knees as the serum flooded through his cables and shut down his systems.

His crimson optics flickered and then went out and he crashed to the cold floor of the Nemesis. Starscream removed the vial and fled as vehicon footsteps were heard approaching.

Soundwave was already on his way, running through the corridors fighting to maintain calm. Of all the power, hungry plans Starscream had ever concocted this was by far the most successful.

The stealth master’s main fear was for his Lord and friend. He could only pray to Primus that whatever Starscream had given Megatron wasn’t fatal.

He arrived on the scene, vehicons standing around shaken to their very sparks at the sight before them. Their leader had fallen. _Their leader had fallen!_

Soundwave shoved them aside and began a scan on the steel colored mech when a proud voice came over the inter-com.

“Fellow Decepticons, this is your new leader Starscream speaking. I have immobilized previous Lord Megatron permanently. Any rebels will be met with the same fate.”

A buzz of panic and disbelief flowed through the troops at this news. Soundwave’s scan came back without a clear diagnostic on what had shut Megatron’s systems down.

The third in command knew he had to get the Decepticon Lord of the ship or Starscream would pound him into scrap.

The vehicons standing around the office would only remain loyal to the fallen warlord for so long. Seeing what Starscream had done to the previous number one and with the same threat issued on their heads, it was in their best interest to submit to the new command.

Soundwave rounded up three soldiers and text flashed on his face.

“Assist me in transporting Megatron to an escape pod.”

Hesitantly they obliged and all four carried the massive form with much difficulty to an awaiting escape pod.

With a flick of his servos, Soundwave sent them away. Another alarm was sounded as he tried to get the pod to depart and he raced against the clock to hack into the systems as the low hum of approaching Insecticons entered through his audio receptors.

It was not a surprise that they had swapped allegiance so fast, they had done the same after Arachnid control had been compromised.

A ping of success was followed by the doors closing and the pod pushing off from the Nemesis. Soundwave put up a tracking blocker and plotted a course to a distant mountain covered in a dense forest. The perfect spot for a hide out.

Starscream was furious at both the crew and himself. The crew was too slow and stupid! And those three cons hadn’t helped things either, first helping Soundwave and then delaying the Insecticons from reaching the pod.

They would pay, shortly. Why didn’t he consider Soundwave’s undying loyalty would lead him to make such a crazy get away! Deep down he knew it was because he had been jealous. Jealous that Soundwave always put Megatron first! It irritated every last system inside him to watch Soundwave day in and day out give everything to Megatron.

Secretly, he had wanted to be at the center of that devotion and he had foolishly believed that if he got rid of the warlord, Soundwave would accept him as the new lord. His spark ached for the attention Megatron received and took for granted.

The seeker might be sitting on the throne in the command room but it was unsatisfying. When he was given the report that a Decepticon pod had crashed down he had sent two squadrons down immediately.

His frustration increased when it turned out to be a dud, and he impatiently tapped his servos on the arm rest.

He had all the capable vehicons scanning and re scanning just to find a hint of the missing pod. He paid little attention to anything else.

Including the Insecticons. Hardshell (who had arrived back from hunting down Wheeljack, the Jackhammer had been smashed but the Autobot had survived according to his report.) had delicately asked what they were supposed to do and the seeker had snapped, “Just do whatever you want! I don’t care!”

The wicked gleam that glowed through their optics should have been warning enough if only the new lord had looked close enough.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it because this was the 6th version of this chapter! I don't know why but I just couldn't get it right. And then I............completely gave up, after all, I can always scrap it later if I find it unnecessary when I revise this whole story!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A letter from the author to you, the beloved reader.

Dear Reader,

So sorry for disappearing! But thank-you for taking the time to read this.

As you know this version of my story is a rough first draft and I wrote it in a crazy and terrible form because I wanted to get all my ideas out in a rush of unplanned haste. But I took a step back and re-evaluated how I wanted the story to flow and I am constructing a better version of it now. It'll take some time but the new version will be a lot better, promise!

I am unsure if I will finish this one due to how humiliated I am at how bad it is. But if you would like me to give this version an ending feel free to leave a comment. If I get just 1 comment from a reader like you requesting an ending, I will finish this version of my story. :)

I might still finish it without a request, but this version will be taking a back seat for now as I work on the new one. Please note that because I'm in the middle of constructing my new version it will be a while before I post it. The plot laid out (very badly) in this current version is a combination of at least five other plots I've had running through my head for over a year now, so as you can tell it takes me a while to build up a good story.

Thank you for your patience!

Love,  
ElliannaPrime 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the promised Chapter 17! 
> 
> I would have had it up sooner if my computer hadn't been mean and deleted it. But I suppose I have to thank it, this version is much better than the original. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Soundwave’s processors were running a mile a minute. Megatron was down. _Megatron was down._ If Optimus had taken him down Soundwave would have been calmer but this was Starscream’s doing.

Starscream, while clever, was no scientist and yet here was a brand-new substance that completely shut down the towering Decepticon Lord. Surely no human could have come up with something so deadly? But a Cybertronian accomplice was ruled out, Soundwave prided himself at how diligent he was in monitoring how many sparks were present on earth and no one new had entered the atmosphere.

Ping!

Alright, someone new had just entered and set off an Autobot emergency beacon though oddly it was coming from a Decepticon escape pod. But whoever it was didn’t count, they had just arrived.

Meaning it had to be a human and if he could find the human who made it, he could get Megatron back online.

Soundwave located a mountain with dense foliage and chose it for his landing sight. He went through all his data on Starscream’s locations over the last cycle and triangulated an area that most likely contained the human. How he would find the particular human was unclear but he’d figure it out.

What was intriguing was that five Autobot life signals remained unmoving in the exact same area. Starscream and his human helper had obviously been very busy.

Soundwave gave Megatron a final look before transforming and heading off towards the coordinates. If he ran into the Autobots perhaps he could get their help. They wouldn’t want Starscream in charge either.

******************

Thus, Fowler, Tailgate, and Cliffjumper raced to find their friends. Soundwave raced to find the human responsible for Megatron’s fall. Smokescreen found out a terrible emergency. Starscream sat brooding in his new throne chair. And the captured Autobots watched Ashley get hooked up to the dreaded dark energon. On that note, let us return to the warehouse.

******************

Ashley struggled in vain against the cuffs. She knew she couldn’t break them but that didn’t stop her from trying.

Nathanial shooed the new employees out of the room and hooked up a slender hose to the container. He slowly walked up to Ashley waving the needle at the end as he whistled.

His prisoners’ voices rose in panic and protest.

“You can’t do this!”

“You’ll kill her!”

“You don’t know the danger of that substance.”

“I’m gonna tear you to pieces when I get out!”

“You’re the lowest brand of scum I’ve ever met.”

“You are going to regret messing with us.”

He put up the sound barrier and they’re mouths moved in anger, yelling countless unhear threats. That is, all except Ratchet.

He stood still, unable to move, unable to speak. Ashley was going to die. There was no way a human could survive an infusion of dark energon that massive.

Never again would her humming pierce through his thoughts while he diligently worked on repairs. Her feet would never hit his chest armor in time with her soft melody. He would never be greeted by her smile. Her voice would never echo around the base again. He would never get to see her after today. Never get to pick her up. Never set her on his shoulder.

It was overwhelming how much Ashley had ingrained herself into his everyday routine. How had he allowed himself to take all that time for granted?

He watched in horror as the needle was inserted into her skin. The dark energon flowed into her veins.

Her time was running out.

Her skin became discolored and glowed. It spread and consumed her. She fought against the restraints and screamed.

“I…can’t…stop…it..” She gasped as her aqua eyes flickered purple.

Back and forth. Purple to blue. Human to monster.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried but couldn’t speak over the pain. Not that it mattered, they were blocked out from her cries. She couldn’t tell them what the dark energon was screaming in her head.

Her head fell in defeat and her eyes began to glow like her skin. The dark energon surged in victory and its color darkened.

The monster had won.

It raised its host’s head and stared at those who she called friends _. Her_ friends stared back at the creature.

It was no longer Ashley and it saw that they knew it.

 “I’m so glad I was born in the age of cameras because I will watch this on replay for many years to come!” He murmured happily to the monster hanging above him. “The defeat that washed over them! It was…Perfect.”

It looked down, this was an enemy of its host and though it didn’t care much for his status it was the only one unguarded.

With a sneer, it yanked its right arm and the cuff fell to the ground. The left foot was freed next. Then the other arm and other leg.

Its host had been so weak.

The exposed enemy let out a shriek of terror as it dropped to the ground. Pathetic. Ending this life would be no fun. Well, at least the others had the potential to provide entertainment.  

Its target tried to run but in his haste slipped and fell. The monster sighed. Could he not at least try and make it a challenge?

Nathanial, his apparent designation, scrambled up, pushing against the computer console, and accidentally hitting the sound barrier off in the process.

He backed up, never taking his eyes off the beast in front of him. That thing had death written in its eyes and for once Nathanial was truly terrified of the girl he had tormented for so long.

“Nathanial.” It sang out, advancing on the trembling figure. “Want to play a game?”

“Get away from me freak!” He shouted, and began to frantically start a sequence on the computer. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”

“That’s not the correct answer.” It giggled softly, tilting its head to the right as it continued it menacing march. “Not that it matters, you’re already as good as dead.”

Nathanial whipped his head around to face it and stuck out his tongue. “You’re the loser.”

It let out a howl of pain as a strong blast hit its back. The horrid stench of burnt flesh filled the room as it sank to its hands and knees.

It let out a hiss as it glanced at the smoking ray gun that had caused this unpleasant turn of events.

“Oh look, someone’s out for the count.” Hawthorne cooed as he waved his forefinger back and forth. “Guess you can’t play along with my game.”

“I underestimated you.” It paused, staring up at the human in amusement. “I’ll be sure it doesn’t happen again.”

It rose and grabbed the gun in one solid move. It broke it in two and swung it against Hawthorne’s ribs sending him to the floor. It cracked a grin as it brandished its new-found weapon over the gasping target.

“Say bye-bye, Nathanial.” The large piece of metal was raised above its head. “While you still can.”

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is terribly late. 
> 
> Sorry. :(

Nathanial’s hands flew over his head in a desperate bid to protect himself. His eyes were squeezed shut and he waited for the blow to descend upon his quaking body.

Nothing happened.

Hesitantly, he opened one eye and gave a low whistle.

“My-my-my,” he looked at the thing in front of him, “she’s not letting you move, is she?”

The monster bared its pointed teeth and growled. It strained against the stupid human will that bound it to immobility.

“Why!?” It screamed in rage and it began to blink rapidly, “you hate him!”

Its eyes began to flicker from purple to blue.

“Because,” the words came out sharp but strong as Ashley started gaining back her control, _“I’m not a murderer.”_

The other prisoners looked on in amazement as they watched their dear companion begin to come back.  Miko sent up a cheer of victory and Bulkhead was quick to join in.

“Beat that purple good for nothing! Whoooo! Beat it! Beat it!”

Nathanial stood up and brushed off his long white jacket, “I must say I’m impressed. Obviously, this dark energon will be quite useful in restoring my arm. I’ll be on my way now. I’ve got to transport the rest of it to a lab far away from any- distractions.”

He smiled at Ashley and gave her a pat on the head, “It really has been nice playing with you. But, it’s too dangerous to keep you alive now.”

Ashley, unable to move, watched as Nathanial gracefully removed the splintered metal from her hand and speared it through her heart.

Blood gurgled up through her mouth, a mess of purple and red, that ran down the corners of her mouth.

Her body went limp and she fell.

She hit the ground eyes wide in shock. They slowly slid shut as she fought for one last breath of air.

Muffled voices cut through the haze but she couldn’t register what they were saying. She smiled to herself.

_It’s odd that I’m so calm. I’m not even scared of dying. I wonder…if there’s a heaven……will I be able to see Tommy again?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter is short. And it's a cliffhanger. 
> 
> Please don't hurt me. *puts on armor* Use a wall, *hides inside a fortress* or a punching bag. Please.


	19. Random

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who finally decide to get her lazy ass around to updating. 
> 
> Me. 
> 
> I'm gonna be straight up honest with you, my dear reader. 
> 
> I hate what I've written on this story. Hate it.  
> Yeah, the plot holds promise. Yeah, I got okay OC's. But I executed it awfully. 
> 
> So, I've hit severe writer's block because I hate what I've written. So, I took a break and wrote something else. (in an attempt to restore my creativity. For I swear to you, dear reader, I will finish this story if it kills me) 
> 
> You don't have to read it. This chapter has nothing to do with Ratchet's Girl but who knows, you may like it.
> 
> And feel free to yell at me it the comments for being a terrible fanfic author. Heaven and Hell know I deserve it.

The sun set slowly over the new grave. A glaring reminder of the lost life of Clemet. He had taken his last breath a week ago just two months after his joyous birth.

Next to it was another grave, just a month older, where 2-year-old Ebenezer now slept.

Mrs. Osgood stood over them both, watching with silent tears, as darkness forever covered her beloved boys. She dared only a glance at the third grave farther back where her baby girl had laid for thirteen years.

It was the way of the world and she hated it.

Mrs. Osgood made her way back to the house, slowly passing under the lofty branches of the orchard. She paid no attention to where her feet went, they knew this trail well. Too well. All she ever seemed to do was pace it ever since-

The day she'd lost her first child.

It had been a terrible blow, the seventh baby, a beautiful girl to help balance out the four rambunctious boys. Her death had come too soon, hardly even a month old when she slipped away.

Sarah, her name had been Sarah. A five-year-old waiting back home also bore the same name. An attempt to ease the pain.

A failed attempt.

The wind howled with frozen rage but Mrs. Osgood didn't notice. The sky plummeted into complete darkness in the blink of an eye. The wind disappeared as suddenly as it had come. All was quiet.

A soft rustle broke the silence.

Something brushed against her leg as one beam of moonlight pierced through the rapidly growing tree branches.

A small black cat walked right into the lone spotlight and sat down. It stared at Mrs. Osgood.

"Does it hurt?" an invisible voice called out, "knowing you've lost them for good?"

The cat did not stir.

Mrs. Osgood whirled around. The wood had closed in. She was trapped in a ten-foot circle of cleared land with the unmoving creature.

"You can tell me."

The voice was sweet and pleasing to the ear. It rang gently through the opening. Surrounding and filling the space.

"Y-Yes. It hurts."

"Would you like the pain to stop?"

"Yes."

Mrs. Osgood's voice was barely above a whisper and she stared hard at the bare ground.

"Would the pain go away if you could see them again? All three?"

Her head snapped up and she looked around wildly, searching for any glimpse of the person who was talking. Her voice was stronger now.

"Aye, it would."

"Do you want to see them?"

"With all my soul."

"Done."

The wind started up again in large gusts. It screamed as it twirled faster and faster around the black cat. Dirt was swept up into the wind, leaves pulled from the trees.

The wind came to an abrupt halt as a bright red light exploded across the darkness. The cat was no longer there. In its place stood a tall lady surrounded by heavy clouds of dirt and dust.

Mrs. Osgood fell backwards. The lady had wings. Dark bat-like wings that stretched menacingly against the ray of moonlight. Twisted horns towered out of the thick black hair that ran down her back. She was wearing a small red cape over her shoulders, black skin-tight pants, and black stilettos. A shocking sight to Puritan eyes.

A bolt of fear shot through her and she found herself unable to move. She was paralyzed and standing face to face with a demon.

The demon walked towards the fallen figure of Mrs. Osgood, dark red eyes snapping with power and deadly promises.

"Here's what you wanted."

Her wings flapped violently and cleared the dirt fog. Suspended in mid-air by a red film, peacefully sleeping were her deceased children. Not a day older than when they had perished and each of them taking deep breaths of contentment.

Mrs. Osgood found her limbs were again under her control and she shakily stood up and walked towards them. They were back. Alive. She reached out a wrinkled hand with a soft smile.

Just to hold them. To touch them again.

They vanished as the unearthly lady gave a crisp snap with her left hand.

"Not yet, dear. I don't work for free."

"What do you want?"

"The promise of a favor."

Her right hand brought out a book, hidden under her cape, and held it out towards the trembling figure.

"Mary Clemet Osgood, place a finger on the cover."

Mrs. Osgood peered at the eerie book. The cover was made of old brown leather, the pages shimmered like silver, two chains were crossed on the top of the book and where they met in the center a foreboding lock rested. Scattered across the cover were small red tear drops. Some of them almost pulsed as they glowed while others remained dark and unmoving.

"Why do you hesitate? All you must do is place your finger on this book and you may see you children whenever you'd like. Isn't that what you want?"

"I do want to see my babies with all my heart but-"

"But what? You'll never get another chance like this."

"What favor will I have to do?"

"Don't worry about that. I won't need to claim it for a while even if everything goes wrong and if everything goes right I won't have to claim it at all."

"What happens if I refuse to do the favor?"

"You can't, once you place your finger on this book you are bound to do whatever favor I ask of you. But as I said, I'm planning things so that ideally you won't have to do anything for me."

"If I don't put my finger on the book you'll?"

"Leave immediately with your children. It's your choice. Make it soon, I won't stay here forever."

They faced each other in silence. The demon kept the book just within reach. Hovering and teasing the mortal with the promise given.

Mrs. Osgood's palms were sweaty. The promise of being reunited with her lost children was hovering within her grasp. Did she dare take it? Did she even have the strength to say no? To walk away? Could she just abandon the only chance she had to get them back?

Her hand shot out. She tapped her forefinger on the book.

Where she had touched a red tear drop appeared, alive and glowing. The world spun and Mrs. Osgood felt sick. What had she just done?

The demon broke into a smile and let out a faint chuckle as she withdrew the book back under the cape. Her wings shot out to their full length and began to flap lifting her up into the air.

"I knew you would do it. You mortals are all the same."

"Wait! Where are my babies? You said I'd get them back!"

The demon paused in her take off and hovered above the ground.

"I said you'd get to see them again. And you shall. Whenever you wish to, come here to this spot. Whisper the words Venerunt Pueri and they shall appear. You cannot tell anyone about this or you will lose the ability to see them. And if you're brave enough, you can try to touch them."

Mrs. Osgood watched as the demon flew through a crimson hole that opened in the sky. Everything started to whizz past her in a blur. She was standing alone. The closed in circle was gone and she was once again standing on the worn path in a spacious orchard.

A glimmer of light flickered in the distance. She stumbled towards it and with each step it shone brighter.

Home.

Where her husband was, her children. The ones she loved.

Why had she ever wished for more?

But she knew why and deep in her heart she still wished it. Opening the door, she was greeted by eager faces, a chorus of 'Mama's back', and the loving look of her husband.

But even with all of that, nothing could be changed.

****************************************************

"What took so long Haexe?" Migri asked, not looking up from her spell book, but fully aware of the presence that had entered through the portal. "Irianith and I were starting to think you'd left to try and take on the Wing Legion yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous. Only a fool would do such a thing." Haexe's footsteps were silenced by the thick carpet as she made her way across the elegant room. She carefully placed the locked book on its shelf before turning to face her friend. "Where is Lord Parac and the Black Guard? They should be back by now. The meeting was supposed to have started already."

"I don't know," Migri lifted her head with a frown as she sat up from her lounging position on the couch. "Irianith went to the outer rims to see if the lookouts and scouts know why they're delayed. She said she'd be back as soon as possible."

"We'll have to wait till she gets back then," Haexe said as she fell back onto the sofa next to Migri, closed her eyes, and put her hands behind her head, "and don't you dare start a conversation with all the worst things that could have happened to them."

Migri gave Haexe a playful glare and rolled her eyes, "I wasn't going to be a rain cloud. So, what were you doing with the Maruu? You not supposed to use it without his Lordship's permission."

Haexe tensed and opened an eye, assessing Migri in an attempt to find any hidden motives behind the question.

Her friend had her feet curled up under her and was facing the wall with the mentioned book. Her golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail with several strands resting against her cheek. She had smudged mascara around her half-lidded bright red eyes from frequent rubbing to try and keep awake after three nights of sleepless study. Her wings were drooped around her and several of the black feathers brushed against Haexe's leg.

"I'm allowed to use it in case of an emergency," Haexe replied satisfied that Migri wasn't attempting blackmail, "besides-"

She was cut off by a door slamming open and a blur of short golden hair rushed in. His breath came in short gasps and his black feathered wings quivered even though they were wrapped so tight around his body they appeared to be plastered to his sides.

"I have urgent news," he made the words come out despite his cracking voice and lifted his head. His hair was out of order and covered most of his face but through it the bright red eyes could be seen.

Migri hastily got up and helped him to a chair, "Breath in and out. It's okay, I'm here," she said and squeezed his hand.

"It's not okay," he snapped and shook free of her grasp, "our father is dead."

Haexe went rigid as the words sank in. Lord Parac...dead?

"Leius, you don't mean it, do you?" Migri whispered and the color drained from her face, "please tell me it isn't so."

"It's true," his voice began to waver again as he looked down at his elder sister. She had sunk to her knees and was listlessly staring off in the distance.

The room had suddenly lost its warm glow and Haexe could stand the oppressive atmosphere no longer. She left the siblings and headed out the door.

Outside, Haexe stood on the landing pad high above the city. Gusts of winds came rushing in from all directions, pushed and shoved by the wings of the inhabitants below. They glided back and forth, small figures going about their own errands. Undisturbed, they had no idea what had just happened.

Someone flew up sharply from underneath the metal structure and hovered in front of Haexe.

"Irianith," Haexe nodded and stepped back giving her a place to land, "your report?"

"Lord Parac is dead, the Black Guard has lost half its members, and the rest are wounded. The Wing Legion is heading our way and the Gate is expected to fall by morning."

It was given without emotion as Irianith landed and gave a deep bow.

"Did Migri send you to the outer rims or did you act on your own again?"

"I acted on my own."

Haexe sighed and pinched her nose, "you know you're a Sub Dominus and we've been over this before. Bad things will happen to you if you keep this up."

"I know master," Irianith bowed again, "my humble apologizes."

"I'm not mad at you. I don't like the system any more than you do."

Irianith kept her head down in shame and Haexe gave a small smile as she reached over and ruffled up the dark brown hair.

"I just want to make sure you don't get hurt, okay?"

"Of course, master," Irianith tilted her head up slightly to make eye contact, "I only ask you allow me to do the same."

Haexe stared into the soft brown eyes, held by the determination and loyalty she saw.

"Permission granted."


End file.
